진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

La Rochelle University is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher or research engineer on a 12-month fixed-term contract.

Project background 

The Chair in Cooperative Values and CSR, led by La Rochelle University and its Foundation, aims to co-produce and disseminate knowledge on corporate social responsibility (CSR) amongst organisations that have chosen cooperation as their organisational model. Within this framework, La Rochelle University is offering a 12-month postdoctoral position aimed at examining the specific characteristics of cooperative models in the banking sector and their links to CSR.

La Rochelle University, drawing on the expertise of its researchers in the history of organisations, strategy, accounting, social responsibility and future studies, is conducting research into the temporalities of territories and the organisations that comprise them. 

The research carried out draws on the study of archives (companies, public bodies, the press, etc.), qualitative fieldwork methods (interviews, participant observation, etc.) as well as creative methodologies (research-creation through writing, theatre and film). 

These complementary approaches enable us to explore the temporality of organisations and to examine how history is written. Just as history is recounted differently depending on the era in which it is written, the future is perceived differently depending on the era from which it is imagined. We might speak of the historicisation of futures: by studying how the past and the present frame possible futures, research can imagine alternative futures and open up scope for action. 

In the 19th century, alongside the major commercial banks that were emerging, cooperative banks were established. Their names are now well known (BNP Paribas and Société Générale on the one hand, Groupe BPCE, Crédit Mutuel and Crédit Agricole on the other), and these two models have endured whilst evolving. Co-operative banks have based their identity and distinctive character on their commitment not to seek profit for shareholders, but rather for the benefit of their members and the local community. This coexistence of models is not unique to France and can be found in many European countries and in Canada.

Today, cooperative organisations, including banks, are major players in their local areas in driving forward ecological and social transformation. They carry enormous social weight, with 32.5 million members in France, thus constituting ‘one of France’s leading civic and economic collectives’ . 

The Research Chair is structured around this issue and the following four research questions:

How are cooperative values reflected in banks’ environmental and social strategies: in the past, present and future? 

• • Which aspects of cooperative values have been overlooked or are re-emerging?
• • Have cooperative and commercial banks developed their CSR at the same pace?
• • How do current perceptions shape what banks will be like in the future?
• • How can performative narrative help us to imagine an alternative future for the banking sector?

Convinced that action research involving practitioners on the ground is the appropriate approach to addressing these issues, the University sought to engage with socio-economic actors who uphold cooperative values in order to gain privileged access to the field, enabling the study of historical data and the testing of forward-looking approaches. Banque Populaire Aquitaine Centre Atlantique (BPACA), a regional bank with cooperative roots, is engaged in a process of reflecting on how to update and put its values into practice in the face of contemporary challenges. As the Chair’s lead partner, BPACA has agreed to support it for its first three years. It will serve as the primary field of study for this research.

Guided by its values of cooperation, commitment, scientific integrity, and the co-creation and dissemination of knowledge, the Chair conducts research at the heart of the region’s key issues, through theoretical and methodological innovation, with the aim of supporting the transformation of the global ecosystem via outputs accessible to as many people as possible.

Job description

The postdoctoral researcher will support the existing research team, comprising a scientific director, a research engineer and a postdoctoral researcher. Their responsibilities will be as follows (and will be shared with the existing team): 

Research support – Archival research 

• • Finalising the corpus
• • Familiarisation with and use of the Iramuteq tool developed by the Chair
• • Analysing the corpus in relation to the research questions
• • Making the tool created on Iramuteq available as open access

Research support – Qualitative field study at BPACA

• • Conducting qualitative interviews between September and December 2026 (with the Chair’s two researchers)
• • Facilitation of foresight workshops in the field between September and December 2026 (with the Chair’s two researchers)
• • Development of a replicable workshop model (serious game type) available as open access
• • Analysis of the data collected

Research support – Drafting of articles and the final report

• • Drafting of scientific articles related to the research questions, in collaboration with the Chair’s researchers (firstdrafts to be submitted by August 2027)
• • Drafting a report to be submitted to the Chair’s funding body (final version to be submitted by the end of August 2027)

Supporting the running of the Chair and disseminating research

• • Organising a one-day seminar in spring 2027
• • Organising the university’s Social Sciences and Humanities dissertation prize
• • Participation in academic conferences on topics related to the Chair’s research
• • Presenting the Chair’s work to other research groups
• • Managing the LinkedIn account: writing popular science posts, sharing information, etc. (see previous posts)

The postdoctoral researcher will be based in the NUDD laboratory, which specialises in the use of digital technology for sustainable development, 

Type of appointment 

• • Category: A 
• • Post: NUDD Laboratory.
• • Type: Fixed-term contract for 12 months starting in September 2026.
• • Working hours: full-time
• • Remuneration: €2,569 gross per month, in accordance with La Rochelle University’s charter for the management of contract staff. 

If the candidate obtained their PhD less than three years ago, a postdoctoral contract may be offered. If more than three years have passed, the contract will be equivalent to that of a research engineer

Recruitment is open to anyone holding RQTH status

Contact for information on the vacancy

Pierre LABARDIN – University Professor – [email protected]

Scientific Director of the Chair in Cooperative Values and CSR.