Job Description
Category
Category A (executive)
Position open to:
Contractuals
Field / profession
SCIENCE – Researchers
Job status
Vacant
BODY
Researcher
BAP
Research
Job Title
Hydrological Modelling and Participatory Processes Researcher (M/F)
Employer description
The IRD is a French multidisciplinary public research organization which, for almost 80 years, has been committed to equitable partnerships with countries of the South and in the French Overseas Territories.
As an actor in the international development agenda, its priorities are aligned with the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Together, scientists and partners of the Institute propose concrete solutions to address the global challenges facing societies and the planet. This win-win relationship makes science and innovation key drivers of development.
The Institute is placed under the joint supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Description of the structure
Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET) is a multidisciplinary research laboratory in Earth and environmental sciences attached to the Midi-Pyrénées Observatory (OSU OMP). The unit currently has 226 people, including 156 permanent staff and more than 70 doctoral students and researchers on fixed-term contracts.
One of the strengths of GET lies in its ability to implement a multidisciplinary approach involving many disciplines of Earth and environmental sciences (geology, geochemistry, geophysics, geodesy, hydrology, pedology), complemented by geographical and sociological approaches.
The position will also be attached to two secondary structures for specific missions: (1) the Centre for Social Science Studies on the African, American and Asian Worlds ( CESSMA ) in Paris, and (2) the Provincial Bureau of Agriculture and Forestry of Luang Prabang (PAFO), Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR).
An attractive mission
Mountainous areas in humid tropical regions are experiencing rapid land-use changes that compromise the quality and quantity of soil and water resources, and consequently food security and public health. Short-term consequences of these changes include soil loss in cultivated areas and increased sediment inputs into downstream rivers, often associated with surface water pollution.
The ANR DinBuam project , to which you will contribute, and which relies on the facilities of the M-TROPICS observatory in the Lao PDR, adopts a stakeholder-based approach to preserve or restore ecosystem services, such as those provided by upstream wetlands, and thus provide sustainable water solutions for sanitation and agriculture that are environmentally friendly, economically viable and socially acceptable.
In this context, your activities will be as follows:
- Identify the relevant system(s) of actors, resources and territories for the sustainable management of water resources and the landscape mosaic.
- Formulate and test relevant and realistic hydro-social trajectories and scenarios (land use, climate and management) using the SWAT model (Bieger, K. et al ., 2017)
- To propose options and recommendations from scenario analysis and the ARDI participatory process (actors, resources, dynamics and interactions) for sustainable water resource management, including evidence for policy development and transferability to other contexts.
- Ultimately, the results of this work should contribute to the development of an effective and sustainable management program for soil erosion, sediment transfer control and water use (sanitation, irrigation).
Your future team
You will be joining a dynamic and committed interdisciplinary team, based in Toulouse and involved in the DinBuam project.
During missions to Laos (lasting approximately one month per year), you will be in contact with local institutions, such as the authorities in charge of agriculture and the environment (at the ministerial, provincial and district level), villagers, NGOs, as well as colleagues participating in the project (based in Laos or carrying out missions in the field).
Specific conditions of practice
Two missions of approximately one month each are planned per year.
The profile we are looking for
You have developed the following skills:
- Strong interest in social and environmental challenges.
- Good command of hydrological modelling (knowledge and experience of using the SWAT model is a plus).
- Proficiency in tools for collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data.
- Solid experience in publishing in international peer-reviewed journals. English writing skills at C1 level.
- Knowledge of issues related to natural resource/water management.
- Strong organizational skills.
- Operational proficiency in the Lao language would be an asset.
You demonstrate the following human qualities:
- Initiative and proactive approach.
- Ability to adapt and work independently.
- Strong taste for teamwork in an international and transdisciplinary context and interpersonal skills.
- Availability and willingness to conduct field campaigns in rural areas of northern Laos.
You hold a PhD in environmental science with a specialization in water resources.
The doctorate must have been successfully defended, or the defense must be scheduled before the end of 2025.
You have a background in humanities and hydrology (ideally, experience in a transdisciplinary project combining hydrology and a participatory process for land use planning/natural resource management).
Job Location
Job Location
Europe, France, Occitanie, Haute-Garonne (31)
City of assignment
Toulouse
Additional information
Remote work possible
No
Management
No
Applicant
Job vacancy date
01/02/2026
