진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

Position description

Position identification
Title of post: Postdoctoral researcher, ‘Inclusive disaster risk governance’
Type of contract: Fixed-term contract
Category (A,B or C) : A
Contract/project period: 18 months
Expected date of employment: February, 1st, 2026
Proportion of work: 100%
Workplace: Social science research unit SAGE (UMR 7363)
Desired level of education: Doctorate (PhD)
Experience required: 0 to 3 years after doctorate
Contact(s) for information about the position (name, position, e-mail address, telephone) : Nils Kessel, Lecturer (MCF), nkessel@unistra.fr, 03.68.85.40.96
Date of publication: 24 November 2025
Closing date for receipt of applications: 22 December 2025

Research project or operation
The successful candidate will join the Exploratory Research Priority Programme and Equipment (PEPR Risques) team to conduct research within the RISC project (Risks and Societies in the Age of Global Environmental Change: Issues, Knowledge and Policies). This project aims to help address a range of challenges posed by an unprecedented increase in risks and disasters linked to the combined impacts of climate change and human activities, and their intertwining with long-standing major risks.

Activities
Description of the research activities :
Under the scientific supervision of the head of work package 4 of the RISC targeted project, the successful candidate will participate in the implementation of the work package 4 programme of the RISC project.
They will develop and lead a research project on citizen involvement in sustainable disaster risk reduction. Projects with a comparative dimension and inspired by successful international projects, as well as those with an ‘applied’ dimension, will receive particular attention. The successful candidate will be expected to
contribute to the scientific output of the project through empirical research and the publication of articles
(peer-reviewed) and/or books (collective or monograph).
The successful candidate will co-host a series of scientific activities (seminars, scientific communications,
organisation of symposiums) and participate in inclusive governance actions involving various stakeholders
(associations and citizen groups, municipalities, businesses, etc. from the territories concerned).

Related activities :
The successful candidate will contribute to the drafting of summary documents on the events organised with
these same actors.
They will contribute to the structuring and facilitation of an international network of initiatives working
towards inclusive disaster risk governance.
Skills

Qualifications/knowledge :
Doctoral thesis in history, STS, sociology, anthropology, political science or geography (with a focus on social
sciences and humanities)
Interest in risks and disasters and/or participatory approaches/inclusive governance
Knowledge of scientific fields associated with the PEPR Risks programme, in particular research on risks and
the environment in the social sciences and humanities

Operational skills/know-how :
Strong synthesis and writing skills;
Rigour, initiative and organisational skills;
Ability to work in a team and coordinate;
Ability to interact with actors in the field (academic and non-academic)
Ability to collaborate with experts outside the humanities and social sciences (geosciences, health, etc.)
Fluency in French and English (written and spoken);
Professional experience outside the French academic world and/or fluency in foreign languages other than
English and/or teaching and/or mediation skills will be particularly appreciated.

Interpersonal skills :
Openness to the natural and/or medical sciences (emergency medicine, first aid and rescue, geosciences in
particular, climate sciences)
Intellectual and cultural openness: the person will work in an interdisciplinary, multi-site and international
environment.
Environment and context of work

Presentation of the research component/unit :
The PEPR RISQUES (Integrated Risk Management for More Resilient Societies in an Era of Global Change) is one of the Priority Programmes and Equipment for Exploratory Research, funded under France's fourth investment programme for the future (PIA4) 2030. Its main objective is to bring together national teams involved in research on natural and technological risks. The programme is led by the CNRS, BRGM and UGA and implemented in the form of targeted projects and open calls for projects.
The position offered is part of the RISC project (Risks and Societies in the Era of Global Environmental Change: Challenges, Knowledge and Policies) . The research carried out within this programme aims in particular to study risk observation and monitoring infrastructures, analyse risk and disaster governance modes, develop a new analysis and management framework to better address multiple risks and vulnerabilities, and to build inclusive governance mechanisms for sustainable risk and disaster reduction, as well as to structure an interdisciplinary and international SHS community on risks and disasters. (https://www.pepr-risques.fr/fr/actualite/actualite/lancement-du-projet-…).
The position is in a sector covered by the protection of scientific and technical potential (PPST) and therefore, in accordance with regulations, requires the recruited person to be authorised by the competent authority of the MESR.

Reporting structure:
The successful candidate will report to Nils Kessel, lecturer, researcher and head of work package 4 ‘RiskLab’ of the RISC targeted project.
The person is expected to work independently in a multidisciplinary team, within the SAGE UMR 7363 laboratory and the RISC Targeted Project team, attached to the CERMES3 laboratory (CNRS campus, 94800 Villejuif).

Special conditions of employment
Travel throughout France may be required (8 to 12 times per year).
No particular risks.

To apply, please send your CV, thesis defence report (or equivalent) and cover letter (indicating the names of two references who can be contacted) to:
nkessel@unistra.fr
Candidates selected for an online interview with a selection committee (probably on 9 January) will be asked to reflect on their proposed research topic and how it relates to the RISC project.