Postdoctoral Researcher in Migration

The French Institute for International Scientific Research (IRD) contributes to strengthening the resilience of societies in the face of global upheaval. It is present in more than 50 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific, as well as in metropolitan France and its overseas territories. 

Its research activities provide concrete solutions to priority needs: climate change mitigation and adaptation, the fight against poverty and inequality, biodiversity conservation, access to healthcare, and consideration of social dynamics. Research questions are developed in collaboration with local stakeholders and communities. Teams combine perspectives, disciplines, and knowledge through long-term partnerships to build robust and high-impact solutions. 

The IRD champions research that benefits the greatest number of people. It shares the results of its projects and puts science at the service of action. In this way, it supports the transformation of societies towards fairer and more sustainable social, economic, and environmental models.

The Migrations and Society Research Unit (URMIS) is a joint research unit under the supervision of the University of Côte d’Azur, the University of Paris Cité, the Institute of Research for Development (IRD, UMR 205) and the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS, UMR 8245). 

Urmis is a multidisciplinary research unit specializing in migration, interethnic relations, racism, discrimination, and power dynamics. It studies the processes of identification, categorization, and redefinition of social boundaries and power relations brought about by the migration of people, ideas, and beliefs. Its research pays particular attention to the effects of globalization on opening up local areas, the proliferation of supranational and international decision-making bodies, and the growth of transnational networks in economic, cultural, and religious exchanges. 

Urmis brings together research teams located in Paris and Nice and welcomes researchers from several disciplines in the humanities and social sciences (sociology, anthropology, political science, demography, social psychology, geography, history). 

Under the supervision of Federica Infantino, your activities will be as follows:

You will contribute to the research activities related to the project “The governance of migration beyond borders. Diplomacy, cooperation and externalization.” This project proposes to study migration diplomacy, international cooperation and externalization in the areas of border control and expulsion policies from an original analytical perspective which consists of considering these areas as fields of practice and questioning how the configurations of actors involved and their social interactions shape the governance of migration in asymmetrical power contexts. 

Within the framework of this project, your mission focuses on the case of Morocco, which you are developing in partnership with Moroccan universities. 

Your 5 main activities:

1. Conduct research and documentary analysis on several aspects:

Major developments in Moroccan migration policy and migration diplomacy towards the African Union and other states in Africa, particularly in the Sahel region;

Formal and informal cooperation

Regional consultative processes (Rabat Process, EUROMED, etc.), initiatives related to the implementation of the objectives of the UN Global Compact for Migration, the European Pact on Asylum and Migration, the EU Integrated Border Management Strategy (EUIBM), police cooperation (Frontex, I-ONE, CCPAO).  

2. Conduct field investigations (interviews, participant observation) with actors and organizations involved in the identified processes and arenas to produce original data. 

3. Disseminate the analyses and results of the surveys through publications and scientific communications at the local/national and international levels, in English and French. 

4. Participate and contribute to the scientific life of the laboratories involved by organizing study days, actively participating in seminars, supporting and participating in the activities of the international GovMig network.

5. Participate and contribute to the educational activities of the laboratories involved by leading sessions on specific project topics.

You will carry out two secondary activities aimed at strengthening the societal impact of the project:

– Identification of interlocutors among survey participants and civil society actors, to whom feedback on survey results can be offered, and key moments to offer this feedback.

Throughout your professional career, the IRD supports you in developing your skills. 

The institute provides you with a range of tools such as the digital integration process, access to continuing education, promotion and mobility.

Depending on the activities, IRD offers the possibility of teleworking from 1 to 3 days per week. 

Gross monthly salary: €2793 (0-2 years) 

An operating budget is planned to cover the travel expenses of the person recruited for field research and/or scientific communication. 

By joining the IRD, you will benefit from: 

• 32 days of paid leave + 13 RTT days (for a full-time position at 38.5 hours per week)

• Meal vouchers OR vouchers from a collective catering service (depending on the site) 

• Annual (optional) membership in the Social Welfare Association: holiday, leisure, sports and cultural benefits

• MGEN affiliation for social protection

You have developed the following skills:

• Knowledge of the epistemological and methodological challenges of research, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, in the field of migration studies and its governance

• Develop and implement a survey methodology

• Excellent command of written and spoken French and English 

• Writing, written and oral summarization

• Excellent command of spoken Arabic and Moroccan Arabic dialect (Darija) – desirable skill

You demonstrate the following human qualities:

• Strong organizational skills, meticulousness and methodical approach, respect for deadlines

• Listening skills

• Sense of responsibility and initiative

• Ability to engage in dialogue/communicate with and to diverse audiences 

• Autonomy