OFFER DESCRIPTION
Completion of surveys, realization of commented courses, interviews, animation of workshops according to the Commod method, in Benin. Processing and analysis of the results. Writing of the report with the scientific manager and co-writing of publications.
For these activities, the postdoc will benefit from the support of the interdisciplinary teams involved in this project (Team ATOmycA – Microbiology (PCR analysis); CDTLUB – Medical; CIFRED – Epidemiology-statistics; OIES – Spatial analyses-remote sensing
The post-doc will collect data in the living places of the recruited case-controls (including environmental sampling) during fieldwork and will coordinate the complete diagnosis of the territory of Gbadohoui, as well as the organization and the facilitation of collective workshops in the second workpackage.
The person who will be recruited in post doctorate must be immediately operational on all the methods mentioned in the description of the project. A health geography/environmental geography profile is sought. A good knowledge of Benin is also essential since the recruited person will have to make several long stays there. He/She will be housed in the leprosy and buruli ulcer treatment center in Pobé – official housing available (a few weeks or even a few months, several times during the contract).
This position is part of the COPTER-UB project (TERritorial behaviors and practices related to exposure to Buruli Ulcer disease (BU) which is a program funded by the ANR and led within the joint research unit 6590 of the CNRS Spaces and societies, by Sébastien Fleuret, research director. This is a multidisciplinary program whose site is located in Pobé in Benin.
Summary description of the project
Buruli ulcer (BU) is a neglected tropical disease caused by an environmental mycobacterium (M. ulcerans) that generates extensive, necrotizing skin lesions. Rural or remote areas of West and Central Africa are still today the most affected regions. At the current research stage, the mechanisms of transmission in natural conditions are still poorly understood and grey areas remain about the identification of plausible protective factors to avoid contamination. The expected short-term results of the COPTER UB project are to identify water management methods in the villages that could serve as a basis for more effective disease control and differentiated dynamics of exposure to M. ulcerans.
In the medium term, this will involve initiating adaptation scenarios in collaboration with local actors while continuing to equip the territory to maintain prevention and protection practices over the long term. The COPTER-UB project revolves around different data collection tools, designed with application perspectives in terms of prevention:
In a first work package: a geographic health survey (case-control survey) coupled with long interviews at home, accompanied field visits to all living spaces (home, work-school, water supply points, swimming areas, side roads, cultivated fields, etc.), GPS coordinate readings and environmental samples (with PCR analyses) if the places mentioned involve direct contact with water.
In a second work package: on the basis of villages selected according to their endemicity or non-endemicity (district of Gbadohoui), a complete diagnosis of the territory will be carried out for each of them, corrected and enriched by local knowledge accompanied by measures control by environmental sampling (with PCR analysis); participant observations, spatial analyzes (with GPS coordinate readings) and a collection of the inhabitants’ “expertise” through individual interviews, workshops in schools and meeting-debates. From the joint exploitation of these mixed research methods, the inhabitants will analyze over time the changes in interactions with their aquatic environment, the behaviors and practices that may have contributed to a reduction in the incidence or, conversely, the risks exposure that may remain and will ultimately co-develop adaptation scenarios with the research team. This process will be based on the Commod multi-agent analysis method.
More Information
Eligibility criteria
Doctoral degree in geography + field experience in Africa, if possible in Benin. Skills in health geography and environmental geography.
Commod method
English level B2 to C1 (common European reference in languages)
Ability to work in a team, to report
Autonomy, and good communication skills, adaptability.
Additional comments
44 days of annual leave, mission expenses according to civil service regulations
Web site for additional job details
https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/CDD/UMR6590-ANNTHO-001/Default.aspx
Required Research Experiences
- RESEARCH FIELDGeography
- YEARS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE1 – 4
- RESEARCH FIELDArchitecture
- YEARS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE1 – 4
- RESEARCH FIELDSociology
- YEARS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE1 – 4
Offer Requirements
- REQUIRED EDUCATION LEVEL Geography: PhD or equivalent Architecture: PhD or equivalent Sociology: PhD or equivalent
- REQUIRED LANGUAGES FRENCH: Basic
