Postdoctoral Researcher (M/F) - Optics (measurement, instrument development, and simulation)

id="offer-description" class="ecl-u-type-heading-2 ecl-u-mt-none ecl-u-mb-l">Offer Description The postdoctoral researcher's responsibilities will focus on the transport and shaping of an infrared (IR) beam to perform post-desolvation of aggregates produced by MALDI, with the aim of increasing the sensitivity of this technique to tissue proteins. The activities will focus on shaping the IR laser beam used for desolvation, as well as optimizing the coupling parameters with the commercial MALDI spectrometer. This will involve:. 1. Defining the optomechanical components to direct the IR beam to the appropriate area of the spectrometer;. 2. Shaping the beam (top-hat profile, reduction of beam width, or even adjustable focusing within the MALDI plume formation zone);. 3. Optimizing the time intervals between the first UV desorption/ionization laser and the second IR post-desolvation laser on the mass spectrometry signal;. 4. Test the new MALDI-MSI imaging performance (reproducibility, long-term stability) on biological tissues. The work will combine modeling with instrumental development and experimental measurements. The solutions proposed to optimize laser beam transport or focusing will be tested using CODE V and/or Zemax OpticStudio software. In parallel, the experimental work will initially consist of characterizing the cross-sectional profile of the laser beam using an infrared beam analyzer and verifying its characteristics during propagation to the MALDI plume expansion zo