Life-time 100 % research positions in France

This is to inform you about an attractive job offer in France - the yearly
announcement of researcher positions financed by the French Funding
Organization “Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique” (CNRS). These
are *life-time 100 % research* positions offered in an international
competition to excellent candidates. The web page is
http://www.dgdr.cnrs.fr/drhchercheurs/concoursch/default-en.htm.


DEADLINE for the full application is January, 6. Potential host labs should
be contacted very soon (see below).
Knowing FRENCH is not required for applying.


THE PROFILES: Posts of interest for ecologists and evolutionary biologists
are available, mainly in sections 20 and 29 and to some degree 43 and 45.
In some cases, profiles are quite specific (such as “Amazonian
biodiversity”, “Evolution of Symbioses”). But very strong candidates that
have little to do with a specific profile may in cases be preferred over
weak candidates that perfectly match that profile. Moreover, most profiles
are not specific and just suggest the candidate should match the themes of
the corresponding section. Themes of section 20 are given on
http://www.cnrs.fr/comitenational/sections/section20.htm (in French,
including Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning / Landscape ecology and
ecology of species communities / Ecotoxicology and molecular ecology/
Impacts of global change on ecosystems and hydrosystems, paleoceology and
continental paleoenvironments, as well as a number of non-ecological
geosciences issues). Themes of section 29 are given on
http://www.cnrs.fr/comitenational/sections/section29.htm (in French, but
including everything on biodiversity, evolutionary biology, molecular
biology and ecology, from ecophysiology, behavior, life histories via
populations, host-parasites, to community assembly). Themes of section 43
are given on http://www.cnrs.fr/comitenational/cid/cid43.htm (in French,
but including modeling of dynamics of biological systems at all levels and
population dynamics; see also the post N°43/03 – a bioinformaticien post
already reserved for ECOBIO lab at Rennes). Themes of section 45 are given
on http://www.cnrs.fr/comitenational/cid/cid45.htm (in French, but
including interaction between man and global change and biota).

Multiple candidatures are possible.


THE TYPES OF POSTS (see also
http://www.dgdr.cnrs.fr/drhchercheurs/concoursch/chercheur/default-en.htm,
including salaries): There are “chargés de recherche”, 2nd and 1st degree,
2nd and 1st degree “directeurs de recherché”, i.e. Associate Scientists
after dissertation and after some years of postdoctoral experience, and
Senior Scientists after about 8 or more years years of experience,
respectively. *However*, please note that the announced posts
of “directeurs de recherche” do not seem to exist (except in the case of
very exceptional applications). These “posts” are de facto only for
promotion of people that already have a position of a chargé de recherche
within CNRS. According to my experience already the Chargés de Recherche
are actually free to do what they want within an overall, very large
disciplinary category (see above). Starting salaries are generally OK for
feeding a family of three, even though it may become tight in Paris.

The competition for such positions is becoming increasingly tough, in
particular in the section 29. Even though strange things are happening, in
section 29 multiple first or senior authored publications per year each
with an impact factor of 4 or more seem to be useful, and Nature, Science,
PNAS, Ecology Letters are highly appreciated. Further criteria (in French)
are given for each section e.g. at
http://www.cnrs.fr/comitenational/sections/critere/section29.htm.


THE RECRUITMENT PROCEDURE. A visit to the lab after having submitted the
application seems to be very much expected in all cases. Generally, French
institutions *do not* reimburse candidates the travel costs to visit labs
or to come to interviews etc.. Yes, this is a shame. I hope we have some
funds here at Rennes.
After having applied there is a risk that *all* eligible candidates will be
invited to a presentation and an interview in Paris in spring 2011. Travel
costs will *not* be reimbursed by the CNRS, but there might be funds at the
level of host Units. Presentations and interviews can be in English, French
is possibly a plus. These interviews are a major effort for both, the
candidates, the local labs and the national recruitment committees. For
people from abroad it is thus strongly advised to apply if you are
convinced of your CV.


I PERSONALLY COULD OFFER help in putting together an application for
qualified candidates with a project willing to choose the Ecobio lab (see
below) at Rennes and to work here on the interface between (community)
ecology and (macro)evolutionary biology preferably of plants or,
alternatively, on the diversity and diversification of arthropods in the
canopy. My personal web page (somewhat outdated) is given below, my
team “Ecology of Diversification” covers further competences in
ecophysiology and metabolomics and plant phylogeny.

If interested, please try to contact me before DECEMBER 15.


The host lab here is the UNITE MIXTE DE RECHERCHE (“UMR”) “ECOBIO -
ECOSYSTEMES , BIODIVERSITE , EVOLUTION”, co-funded by University of Rennes
1 and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, with particular
expertise in mechanisms of speciation, life history evolution, and
adaptation, expertise at the interface between macroevolution and
macroecology, expertise in ecophysiology, landscape ecology and behavioral
ecology, environmental genomics, community assembly and plant/herbivore
interactions. It is a large institution with several dozen CNRS-
researchers, docents and professors, plus (some) technical staff. See
http://ecobio.univ-rennes1.fr/. It was ranked “A” in the national
evaluation of research institutions. Several further research institutions
in ecology and evolutionary biology exist at Rennes. RENNES has
approximately 200 000 inhabitants and is the capitol of the Bretagne region
with exceptional coastal and mainland landscapes, and a french-celtic
heritage (http://www.bretagne.fr/internet/jcms/TF071112_5061/tourisme). It
is situated some 2 hours by train from Paris. English is spoken everywhere
in Academia, but not necessarily outside, and French should be learned.
Like in any French city, child care is excellent (almost for free, no
waiting list, nearby). Several bilingual French-English schools are
available at all levels of education, as well as one French-German grammar
school.


But please note that each applicant is free to select and contact his / her
possible host lab as available from the CNRS website, and that the decision
is finally made by a national committee, which I am not a member of.


All the best
Andreas Prinzing
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Andreas Prinzing, Prof.
Research Team Ecology of Diversification
Research Unit « Ecobio » : Ecosystems - Biodiversity - Evolution;
Université de Rennes 1 / Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique;
Campus de Beaulieu, Bâtiment 14 A
35042 Rennes, France;
Tel : +33 2 23 23 67 12; fax: +33 2 23 23 50 26;
andreas.prinzing@univ-rennes1.fr;
http://ecobio.univ-rennes1.fr/Fiches_perso/Fiche.asp?pseudo=APrinzing
http://ecobio.univ-rennes1.fr/Fiches_perso/Banque/publi1_APrinzing.doc