Tenure track Junior Professorship
Development of methods to evaluate climate change adaptation policies and solutions in the context of Global South
– Planned tenure as ‘Director of research at IRD’ after a 5-year contract.
– Chair opened at the international research unit SOURCE, Bondy/Saint-Quentin en Yvelines – UVSQ Université Paris Saclay
The proposed project will join one of the knowledge communities recently established to reinforce IRD’s commitment to the science of sustainability: “Coasts and Oceans,” “Sustainable Cities” or “Climate Change.” The Chair’s host unit is the IRL (International Research laboratory) SOURCE, fusion of the CEMOTEV (Centre for Studies on Globalisation, Conflicts, Territories and Vulnerabilities – UVSQ-Paris-Saclay) and the IRL Resiliences (Vulnerability and Resilience of Socio-Ecosystems and Societies – IRD) as of 1 January 2022. This unit, which also forms part of the research ecosystem attached to Paris-Saclay University, based in the Greater Paris region, brings together economists and geographers from the Global North and South, particularly from CIRES (Ivory Coast),UCAD (Senegal) and the University of Antananarivo (Madagascar). This new professorship will contribute to the work done under the banner of two of the unit’s key research themes: “Territories and the challenge of sustainability” and “Reducing vulnerability and reinforcing resilience: evaluation and efficiency of public policies”.
Scientific objectives
As part of a multidisciplinary team, the successful candidate will be responsible for developing models and methods for evaluating policies and solutions implemented to strengthen the adaptation capacities of Global South territories in the face of climate change and its consequences on the ground. These evaluation methods, organised into a conceptual framework, will incorporate indicators and data encompassing the socio-economic costs of policies, their ecological and social impact (including considerations of fairness and environmental justice) and, more broadly, their sustainability and resilience. This work will thus serve to reinforce a three-phase cyclical dynamic comprising: (1) the implementation of programmes and solutions focusing on adaptation to climate change, (2) measuring costs, environmental impact and the effects perceived by local people, and (3) feedback for decision-makers, reinforcing their decision-making capacities. Territories suitable for “case studies” may be selected from among those with which the unit already has connections. They include territories that are particularly vulnerable to climate change and related global dynamics, facing multiple and interrelated challenges. They comprise territories that are particularly vulnerable to climate change and related global dynamics, facing multiple intertwined challenges: the coastal areas of West Africa, rural zones in southern Madagascar, rural areas in the Sahel region, developing economies in small island contexts. This professorship could be held by a geographer, economist or ecologist, and will necessarily involve a great degree of familiarity and interaction with all of these disciplines. If the successful applicant is not already accredited to supervise research projects (HDR), he(she) will be expected to obtain this accreditation before the end of the professorship. Teaching objectives The successful candidate will join the teaching staff of the “Political Economy and Institutions” Master’s programme (Paris-Saclay University), focusing particularly on the “Economics and Evaluation of Development and Sustainability” module taught in both M1 and M2, as well as the geography module “Heritage as an Asset for Tourism and Environmental Conservation.” This professorship will help to reinforce the training provided to young researchers on approaches combining socio-ecosystemic analysis and analyses of political economy, with a view to assessing sustainability in the Global South, especially in marginalised territories. An important part of the work will be to improve training courses in data production and analysis, as well as their deployment in an Open Science context. This professorship will also serve to strengthen ties between master’s and doctoral programmes operated by IRL SOURCE’s partners in both the Global South and the North (particularly the Paris- Saclay University doctoral school), building upon existing initiatives (e.g. the GIDEL master’s programme at UCAD, Senegal, and the creation of a programme focusing on oil and gas). In a broader sense, the teaching priorities of this professorship are concerned with capacity building (SDG 17), in keeping with the values and principles of IRL SOURCE.
Funding available
The recipient of the Chair will receive (1) by the ANR: a 200 k€ funding (of which at least 120 k€ for salaries -doctoral students, post docs, IT contractual- the balance being reserved for the operation of the project); (2) by the IRD: the financing of a PhD contract (or two years of post-doc) and 30 k€ for a long-term mission.
Conditions for applicants
The candidate must hold a PhD or equivalent degree.
Candidates must meet one of the following conditions:
– Hold a foreign university degree deemed equivalent to the above degrees; in this case, a request for equivalence and a translation are mandatory;
– Prove that your qualifications or scientific work are equivalent to the above-mentioned degrees; in this case, candidates must apply for equivalence.
Applications, selection and interviews
Applications must be submitted exclusively online at the following address: https://www.demarches-simplifiees.fr/commencer/ird-chaire-de-professeur-ou-professeure-junior-e by February 21, 2022.
The evaluation will be carried out by a commission composed of internal and external experts. The composition of the commission will be made public before its work. Only those candidates preselected by the committee will be invited to a hearing. The hearings will take place by videoconference. The audition will last one hour and will consist of a presentation by the candidate of his/her research and teaching project (the duration of which will be indicated in the invitation) followed by a discussion with the committee.
Assessment criteria
− Excellence of the candidate, motivation, scientific and pedagogical supervision capacity
− Quality and originality of the research achieved
− Capacity to work in interdisciplinary context
− Interest in environmental and development issues related to the Global South
− Experience in teaching
− Relevance of the proposed methods with regard to the identified problems
− Relevance and structuring effect of the project within the laboratory and at the level of partnerships
− Coherence with the site policy
− Adequacy of the means to the proposed project and capacity to mobilise complementary means.
Nature of the job : Permanent position
Contact person : Geronimi, Vincent,
Application deadline : 21/02/2022