"Still on the Map!" takes as its context the Mississippi Delta fifteen years after Hurricane Katrina and about five years after the commissioning of the major new "100-year" flood protection infrastructure. Expressed from its title -a statement of resistance/resilience chanted by many inhabitants during ecological events in Louisiana- this research project aims to describe the links and "attachments" (LATOUR, 2017) that different communities in the delta maintain with their geographical environment in a situation of strong ecological tipping point, integrating the natural and artificial infrastructures of the watershed into the definition of ecosystems as socio-political actors in their own right. In a context where the delta's land is gradually sinking into the sea, every hour the surface area of a football pitch is permanently flooded.

Sector: Higher Education Institution

Location: Grenoble, France

Researcher profile: Post-doctoral position

Institution

With significant international recognition and an intimate learning environment closely linked to its home territory, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) offers higher education programs at the cutting edge of knowledge. Our goal is to help students hone their curiosity and acquire the skills necessary to lead successful and purposeful lives, this through a collaborative, immersive and innovative higher education experience.

UGA develops ambitious scientific and pluridisciplinary projects to address 21st century challenges, defining, creating and giving access to the tools that would allow today’s and future generations to be active participants in these challenges.

Surrounded by a spectacular landscape, and with an exceptional campus that covers more than 175 hectars, the Université Grenoble Alpes grounds also boast incredible natural scenery, earning it a place in Europe’s Top 10 most beautiful universities (8th in Times Higher Education 2018 rankings).

The university also benefits from its proximity to large European instruments (ESRF, ILL, EMBL, IRAM, EMFL*) and to the CERN. At the heart of the economic development of the Grenoble Alpes urban area, it contributes to the close articulation of higher education, research and the economic sector. Grenoble ranks among the world’s most innovative cities (5th in Forbes 2013 rankings). PhD education relies on the whole array of strengths for top quality training by and for research; almost 50% of PhD students are international students.

A personalized Welcome Center, ISSO (International Students & Scholars Office, affiliated to EURAXESS) for international students, PhDs and researchers facilitates your arrival and installation.

In 2016, Univ. Grenoble Alpes was labeled «Initiative of Excellence ". This label aims at the emergence of around ten French world class research universities. By joining Univ. Grenoble Alpes, you have the opportunity to conduct world-class research, and to contribute to the social and economic challenges of the 21st century ("sustainable planet and society", "health, well-being and technology", "understanding and supporting innovation: culture, technology, organizations" "Digital technology").

* ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility), ILL (Institut Laue-Langevin), IRAM (International Institute for Radio Astronomy), EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory), EMFL (European Magnetic Field Laboratory)

Key figures:

• Over 60,000 students including 3,200 PhD students and 9000 international students,
• 7,500 employees and over 8,000 visiting researchers per year,
• 180 different nationalities,
• 109 research laboratories,
• 1st city in France where it feels good to study and 5th city where it feels good to work.

Mandatory reference

• Idex project title: StillMap IDEX-IRS 2020
• Research field (cf key words on Euraxess Jobs): Geography / cultural study
• Scientific department (laboratory's name): UMR PACTE
• Subject title: Still on the Map ! Les communautés du delta du Mississippi à l’épreuve de la disparition des sols Mississippi Delta Communities Facing Disappearing Land
• Doctoral school's: ED SHPT
• Supervisor's name: Jennifer Buyck
• Type of contract : post-doctoral contract
• Contract length and startung date : 1 year contract, starting on 01/10/2020
• Job status : Full time (35 hours per week)

Subject description or missions

"Still on the Map! " takes as its context the Mississippi Delta fifteen years after Hurricane Katrina and about five years after the commissioning of the major new "100-year" flood protection infrastructure. Expressed from its title -a statement of resistance/resilience chanted by many inhabitants during ecological events in Louisiana- this research project aims to describe the links and "attachments" (LATOUR, 2017) that different communities in the delta maintain with their geographical environment in a situation of strong ecological tipping point, integrating the natural and artificial infrastructures of the watershed into the definition of ecosystems as socio-political actors in their own right. In a context where the delta's land is gradually sinking into the sea, every hour the surface area of a football pitch is permanently flooded. Between 1930 and 2010, the Mississippi Delta lost about a quarter of its land mass (HEMMERLING, 2017). Perhaps it was not clear how much its infrastructures and development projects would have consequences and, above all, how much the Mississippi is the master of its delta. A territory that has become uninhabitable and yet is still inhabited, the delta is a diffuse urban area whose most populous city is New Orleans but which is also characterized by a network of small and medium-sized towns, with a total of 2.2 million inhabitants. What is the future and potential for resilience for the communities of the delta in the face of the disappearance of the land?

As Learning From Las Vegas (VENTURI, 1977), which based its analysis on a 10-day collective field trip, our project is organized as an in situ research workshop of about 20 days. This is a short in situ format that requires a significant amount of preparation beforehand, the involvement of local contacts and the production of innovative performances and archives as the research unfolds. These will be the support of a future exhibition. From a methodological point of view, our work is divided into three tasks in which the whole team is involved: decoding of the metropolitan ecosystem of the Mississippi Delta; in situ analysis and surveying of the urban ecosystems of the Mississippi Delta; production of innovative representations and archives of the commons of the Mississippi Delta.

Our ambition at the end of this research is to produce a cartographic atlas of an urban ecosystem, a film transcribing the in situ experience and the challenges of characterizing this urban ecosystem, as well as an exhibition reporting on our research questions.

The post-doctoral student is exclusively invested in the "Still on the Map! "project, under the direct responsibility of the scientific leader and in close collaboration with the other members of the team. The work will take place mainly in France but may include a period of research in the USA where he/she will be hosted by Louisiana State University (LSU, Baton Rouge). The person recruited will be in charge of preparing the anthropological/geographical field survey, delegated project management for the workshop, animation and editorial communication; he/she will also contribute to the academic and literary writing as well as to the various valorization actions. She will be associated with the elaboration of the exhibition closing the project.

Considering the "Still on the Map! "project, the post-doctoral fellow is an essential operational resource carrying out the preparatory documentary phase in relation to the development of the survey protocol, and organizing with the academic partners of the USL the logistics of the in situ workshop which is designed in a short period of time in intensive mode. It is therefore important to carefully prepare the framework and to optimize the value of the interdisciplinary collections, as this research is inseparable from an original plastic approach, both in situ, through situated ecocritical practices, and through an ambitious program of valorization (communications, publishing, exhibition).

The research report of the post-doctoral researcher will demonstrate data synthesis and data processing capacities, but it will also be oriented towards multimedia production, exhibition and the "staging" of scientific results, contributing in this sense to the scenographic specifications and the preparation of the international restitution colloquium.

Eligibility criteria or expected profile

Academic background:

Applicants must hold a PhD in anthropology, architecture, arts, cultural studies, geography, landscape architecture or urban studies.

Expected skills:

With an interdisciplinary profile and, if possible, a previous knowledge of the area concerned by the project, the post-doctoral researcher has a good understanding of the vulnerability of urban infrastructures and networks to climatic hazards; he/she is capable of addressing the issues with inventiveness in the context of an interdisciplinary project; he/she is able to combine academic requirements and the survey-collection process for the benefit of an innovative project. He/she speaks both French and English.

Application process

Applicants will have to send their application at the latest on 24/07/2020 at 17:00 (CET)

to: jennifer.buyck@univ-grenoble-alpes.fr

Their application should include:

• Their CV,
• An application letter which specifies the insertion in the scientific project (2 to 3 pages max)

Applications will be evaluated through a three-step process:

1. Eligibility check of applications end of July 2020
2. 1st round of selection: the applications will be evaluated by a Review Board en end of July 2020.  Results will be given on 27 July 2020.
3. 2nd round of selection: shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview session by visioconference (if necessary

Wage

gross monthly salary starting from 2395 € and depending on the candidate’s experience