M/F researcher specialising in the history of urban planning, land policies and spatial planning

Organisation/Company CNRS Department Institutions et Dynamiques Historiques de l'Economie et de la Société Research Field Economics Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 20 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Jan 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

UMR 8533 IDHE.S is recruiting, as part of the ANR TRACES project – VDBI Priority Research Programme and Infrastructure ( https://pepr-vdbi.fr/projets/projets-traces ) – a researcher in the Humanities and Social Sciences specialising in the history of urban planning, land policies and spatial planning (17th–21st centuries).

The successful candidate will work with the TRACES project's research team to conduct a long-term study (17th–21st centuries) on the history of land ownership, urban planning and the management of water infrastructure in the areas currently comprising the Saclay Plateau and the Versailles Grand Parc Urban Community.

1. collecting and studying documents available in departmental, national and organisational archives;
2. compiling and analysing a corpus of legal and legislative texts concerning local, national and European policies on the management and protection of watercourses (20th–21st centuries);
3. conducting interviews with elected representatives, political figures, members of tourist information organisations and other local associations active in the areas concerned;
4. compiling a bibliographic reference database on the project's theme.

The IDHE.S is a multi-affiliated (CNRS/UPN/Paris 1/Paris 8/EVRY/ENS Paris-Saclay) and multi-site laboratory in the Humanities and Social Sciences, bringing together more than 200 staff members. The post is based at the ENS Paris-Saclay campus (Gif-sur-Yvette). The successful candidate will report directly to the unit director (Valérie Boussard) and functionally to the scientific coordinator of the research contract (Michela Barbot).

Key responsibilities

• Collect, either alone or in pairs with another member of the research team, a series of historical documents (17th–21st centuries), whether printed or handwritten, most of which are held at the National Archives and the departmental archives of Essonne and Yvelines;
• Collect texts and documents illustrating local, national and European policies on the protection of watercourses, analyse them and summarise them for the research team;
• Make targeted approaches to arrange interviews;
• Conduct interviews and make observations at the host locations specified in the contract;
• Create a bibliographic reference database on the project's theme;
• Contribute to data analysis and the drafting of research reports (interim and final);
• Contribute to the scientific organisation of an international workshop on the project's theme.

Technical skills (professional experience required)

• Conducting archival research;
• Ability to read and interpret documents written in French and English;
• Ability to develop data collection tools (questionnaires, case studies, etc.);
• Knowledge of the main methods for analysing historical sources;
• Knowledge of the main methods for analysing territorial and urban policies;
• Ability to summarise documentation;
• Ability to analyse quantitative data;
• Writing skills;
• Knowledge of data documentation standards.

Desired language proficiency

• English: C1
• French: C1

Interpersonal and behavioural skills

• Ability to work as part of a team and to report on one's work;
• Ability to prioritise and organise one's work, taking into account constraints and deadlines;
• Autonomy.