Changed on 19/06/2025
Inria is launching a new campaign offering 3 Inria Starting Faculty Positions in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
The desired profiles are scientists with a PhD in SHS. PhDs in computer science or mathematics collaborating with SHS are not among the profiles expected for this campaign.
It is expected that the research program presented in the application will have a link with the digital world, either as a subject of study (digital law, the impact of the digital world on society, etc.), or as a methodological tool in an SHS discipline (digital humanities, etc.).
The campaign is open to all SHS disciplines. However, given the areas that Inria wishes to develop as part of its strategy, particular attention will be paid to the following themes:
- Information warfare and information manipulation, in conjunction with Inria Défense.
- Digital and the world of work, in particular in conjunction with LaborIA[1].
- Digital and the economy, for example in conjunction with the Inria Foundation Chair in Market and Learning[2].
- Digital law, in connection with AI legislation (AI Act) and the deployment of the National Institute for AI Assessment and Safety[3].
- International digital governance.
- Digital and democracy.
- Digital and sustainable development.
- Digital and education.
- Interaction between digital security and cognitive sciences, psychology, etc.
Inria traditionally recruits young permanent scientists within an existing project team[4]. This could be the case for these SHS recruitments, since it is estimated that some sixty project-teams already have SHS activities, and many others wish to develop them. In such cases, candidates are strongly encouraged to contact the head of the desired project-team beforehand, and to detail in their application how their activity will contribute to the project-team's activities.
It is also possible, within the framework of this campaign, to be recruited from outside the project team. In this case, candidates are encouraged to situate their activity in the local context of the Inria center to which they wish to be assigned and to contact its director, or in the national context of the Inria structures in which their action would fit. A position vis-à-vis the Inria Center's partner university(ies) is also expected. In addition, their profile and the research program presented in their application file should make it possible to credibly envisage, within a few years, either integration into an existing project-team or the creation of a new project-team.
[1] https://www.laboria.ai/
[2] https://www.inria.fr/fr/chaire-recherche-economie-intelligence-artifici…
[3] Inria is a founding member alongside ANSSI, LNE (Laboratoire national d'évaluation) and PeREN (le pôle d'expertise sur la régulation numérique), under the dual supervision of the DGE and SGDSN.
[4] The project team is the basic research unit at Inria. It is usually shared with a higher education institution. There are currently around 230, spread across the 9 Inria centers. See https://www.inria.fr/fr/liste-des-equipes-projets
You can apply until midnight May 13, 2025.
In a nutshell
The Inria Starting Faculty Positions (ISFP) are intended for researchers at the beginning of their careers.They are based on a unlimited-term contract (CDI) and associated with a teaching service in an Inria partner higher education institution (approximately 32 to 64 hours per year). The implementation of this new recruitment system meets a twofold ambition:
- Enhanced interaction with major research universities.
- A stronger attractiveness of research careers at the beginning of a career.
Application conditions
- There is no restriction on the age or nationality of applicants
- In line with its diversity policy, all Inria posts are accessible to disabled employees. If you need any information, please contact : actionsociale@inria.fr
- The following may apply:
- holders of a PhD or equivalent degree;
- applicants who have gained scientific qualifications or carried out scientific work deemed to be of an equivalent level.
How to apply?
To apply, you must first create your applicant space and download the online application form. Positions are open in all Inria Research Centres. A candidate wishing to apply to several Inria Research Centres must submit separate applications. He or she will be able to adapt the content of his or her application depending on the Research Centre to which he or she is applying.
Recruitment procedure
- Admissibility: First Inria checks that each applicant meets the eligibility criteria.
- Pre-selection based on the application: the admissibility committee considers the eligible applications. After careful consideration, the committee will draw up a list of applicants who can go on to the next stage. These applicants are invited to interview.
- Interviews and admissibility results: the applicants admitted to the next stage are then called to interview. After careful consideration, the admissibility committee draws up a list of admissible applicants.
- Admission: the admission committee examines the applications of the admissible applicants and draws up a list of those to be offered posts.