Offer Description
• Context
This 18 months postdoctoral position is focused on actor networks analysis, with the aim to understand the institutional dynamics and innovation trajectories of urine source-separation. It takes place in the REV:EU project (2026-2028, Driving Urban Transitions).
The REV:EU project (Regenerative Vital Water for European Cities)
The limitations of centralized wastewater systems are becoming increasingly apparent due to water scarcity and environmental eutrophication. These challenges reveals the need to shift from the current linear approach to urban wastewater management to a new paradigm that adopts a regenerative approach to urban water management systems. In this regard, source separation systems for wastewater represent a promising innovation. They enable the efficient recycling of water and nutrients while reducing freshwater consumption, eutrophication, and greenhouse gas emissions.
The objective of the REV:EU project is to support the transformation of urban water management systems toward more circular and resilient approaches, leveraging source separation techniques targeting two specific streams: urine for nutrient recycling and greywater for water reuse.
REV:EU involves a wide range of partners (research laboratories, local authorities, and companies driving technical innovations) from three European countries: France, Sweden, and Norway. The work is organized around three regions designated as “living labs”: the Île-de-France region and the metropolitan areas of Stockholm and Oslo (Norway).
The project has several objectives: to broaden the involvement of local stakeholders in a regenerative approach to water management; to bring various techniques for source separation of urine and greywater to maturity; to study the socio-technical transition pathways toward source separation; and to produce policy and strategic recommendations for local authorities.
• Working environment
The position will be located in France, either in TBI (INRAE / INSA, Toulouse) or in the LEESU (ENPC/U-PEC, Champ-sur-Marne, east of Paris). You will work with Tanguy Fardet (complex systems scientist, TBI) and Marine Legrand (anthropology and environmental studies, LEESU) in a very interdisciplinary setting including people from various disciplines related to sanitation, human excreta, wastewater and biomass management in a circular bioeconomy context.
• Research objectives
This project aims at developing a better understanding of environmental innovation trajectories, based the case of urine source-separation at the national level in France as well as the European level.
What are the key institutional actors related to urine source-separation in France?
Where do they stand regarding emerging supply chains, urine treatment and fertilization techniques?
What specific issues, obstacles and levers to the development of urine source-separation do they face today?
To answer these questions, the goal will be to identify and map these actors and their relations to other actors, existing supply-chains and techniques through surveys of grey literature and semi-structured interviews.
Ultimately, the goal will be to provide an actionable overview and understanding of the current socio-technical configuration surrounding urine source-separation in France. A method to provide a concise visual representation of this configuration will be developed, extending previous work on this topic.
A European perspective can be added to the project through specific case studies, namely large-scale pilot projects in urban settings.
Where to apply
E-mail: tanguy.fardet@inrae.fr
Requirements
Research Field: Environmental science » Natural resources management
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
The candidate has a PhD in either sociology, environmental sciences, or complex systems.
The candidate will be autonomous and adaptable, and will be fluent in either French or English (fluency in both languages is appreciated but not necessary).
They will have a strong interest in network analysis and social sciences.
Specific Requirements
A mandatory interview with the pre-selected candidates
Send a Curriculum Vitae
Send a letter of motivation
(Contacts: tanguy.fardet@inrae.fr, marine.legrand@enpc.fr)
