Dear all [please distribute as appropriate; sorry for cross-posting]
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.sg.cnrs.fr/drhchercheurs/concoursch/default-en.htm. Posts are available, for instance in “Continental Surfaces and Interfaces (which includes landscape ecology)”, “Biodiversity, evolution and biological adaptations: from macromolecules to communities”, and “Biological systems modelization, bioinformatics”. The deadline, regrettably, is January, 6. THE TYPES OF POSTS (see also http://www.sg.cnrs.fr/drhchercheurs/concoursch/pdf/metier-en.pdf, 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 (there are some 40 categories defined for all sciences together). The competition for such positions is becoming increasingly tough, in particular in the section 29 “Biodiversity, evolution and biological adaptations: from macromolecules to communities”. Even though strange things are happening, 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 are highly appreciated. Further criteria (in French) are given at http://www.cnrs.fr/comitenational/sections/critere/section29.htm THE PROFILES If you go to http://gestionoffres.dsi.cnrs.fr/fo/offres/default-en.php you will find a number of posts offered, e.g. in the in the sections 20, 29, 45. Note that by further clicking on the numbers given to the jobs (e.g. “N°29/02”) you will find that the Chargé positions (Associate Scientists) are often “focused” to quite restricted fields of research. This is where often science politics comes into play. But sometimes the profiles only indicate a preference in case two equally strong candidates show up. Very strong candidates that have little to do with a published profile may in cases be preferred over weak candidates that perfectly match a profile, in particular in competitive sections. THE RECRUITMENT PROCEDURE. Deadline for applications is, regrettably, January 6.. 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, but this is not sure. After having applied *all* candidates will be invited to a short presentation and an interview in Paris in spring 2009. Travel costs will *not* be reimbursed by the CNRS, but at the level of host Units funds may be available. 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 only if they are convinced of their CVs. I PERSONALLY COULD OFFER help in putting together an application for qualified candidates with a project willing to choose University of Rennes 1 and to work here (at least partly) on the interface between ecology and phylogeny (preferably of plants) or, alternatively, on the community assembly, diversity and diversification (preferably 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. The host lab here is the “UNITE MIXTE DE RECHERCHE “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. 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.region- bretagne.fr/CRB/Public/rubriques_thematique/visiter_la_bretagne/la_bretagne_ une_reg/la_bretagne_en_image/). 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------ 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; [email protected]; http://ecobio.univ-rennes1.fr/Fiches_perso/Fiche.asp?pseudo=APrinzing http://ecobio.univ-rennes1.fr/Fiches_perso/Banque/publi1_APrinzing.doc
