General information

Reference

2026-4053  

Position description

Category

F05 Economy - Engineer / Researcher

Job title

PhD in Applied Social Sciences for Water F/M

Contract

Thesis

Contractual hours

Full-time

Contract duration

36 months

Context and contributions of the position

Climate change is putting pressure on water resources, affecting their availability and quality. Traditional approaches focused on scientific expertise show their limits, and the need for co-produced knowledge with local stakeholders - managers, citizens, users - is growing. Living Labs, especially Water-Oriented Living Labs (WoLLs), provide a framework to experiment with local solutions while promoting knowledge co-production and social learning. This thesis aims to analyze their role in climate change adaptation, particularly for groundwater, which is less visible and often more difficult to manage.

Job description

The proposed methodology combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to capture both the diversity of existing setups and the specificities of the participatory and social dynamics they generate.
The objective is to evaluate the implementation of Living Labs on water, their effects on stakeholders, and their institutional impacts.

1. Documentary analysis:

-Scientific and technical publications on Living Labs and participatory innovation setups in the water sector
-Activity reports, meeting minutes, methodological documents, guides...
-Documents produced by the Water4All project

2. Quantitative survey:

To complement the documentary analysis and obtain an overview of Living Labs, a quantitative survey will be conducted with a large sample of water-related LLs, including those referenced in the Water4All project and others identified through the Living Labs Atlas (ENoLL, 2024).
-Development of a structured questionnaire inspired by the LLAM Harmonization Cube,
-Analysis of responses to highlight the links between LL governance, procedural design, and reported outcomes.

3. In-depth qualitative study (on 2 to 3 European LLs):

-Documentation on each selected LL
-Semi-structured interviews with the leaders and facilitators of the Living Labs (local authorities, researchers, associations, managers) and participants (users, citizens, elected officials, local actors) to gather their perceptions and experiences
-Participant observation during workshops, meetings, and co-construction sessions, to document practices, interactions produced, identify facilitation methods, tools used, and their influence on participation and social learning
-Content analysis and thematic coding

Profile

You will use the following skills and qualities:

Holder of a master's degree in geography, political science, sociology, or social sciences (sociology of science and technology, participation studies, environmental studies).

Strong interest in engaged research, science-society dialogue, or territorial dialogue.

Experience in qualitative and quantitative survey methods (interviews, observations, questionnaires, data analysis).

Knowledge of issues related to water and/or natural resource management is appreciated.

Skills in analysis, scientific writing, and communicating results to various audiences (scientists, practitioners, decision-makers, citizens).

Good command of written and spoken English (working language in the Water4All consortium).

Autonomy, collaborative spirit, and ability to work interdisciplinarily.

Working conditions

This position is based at BRGM (BRGM DE/AKS) in Montpellier and involves national and international travel, with frequency and duration depending on the missions (fieldwork, seminars, conferences, etc.) to be carried out as part of the thesis.

The doctoral student will be enrolled at the GAIA doctoral school of the University of Montpellier: https://gaia.umontpellier.fr/

The host laboratory is UMR G-Eau (Olivier Barreteau, INRAE, Laura Seguin, BRGM, Philippe Le Coent, BRGM).
You will find more details about the thesis on the website : www.g-eau.fr/index.php/fr/umr-geau/recrutement

The doctoral student will work on the BRGM site.

The remuneration of the PhD candidate and the tasks will be managed by BRGM, within the framework of the Water4All partnership co-financed by the European Commission.

Within an environment that promotes a healthy work/life balance, particularly thanks to remote working, BRGM prides itself on providing a friendly and caring place to work.
Awarded HRS4R certification in 2021, we are committed to supporting you throughout your career at BRGM. We provide you with a range of tools for developing your skills and expertise, with scope for career progression and geographic mobility.

At BRGM, you will benefit from several advantages such as RTT (reduction of working time days), meal vouchers, holiday and leisure benefits, etc.

Position location

Job location

France, Occitania: Pyrenees-Mediterranean, Herault (34)

Location

Candidate criteria

Languages

English (Technique / Professionnel)