• Presentation of the university

In a higher education and research landscape that has been profoundly reshaped for more than a decade, La Rochelle Université has chosen to structure its research around a thematic by positioning its scientific and academic strengths on societal and environmental issues. This approach has led to the creation of a teaching and research institute called the LUDI Institute, SmUCS in English (Smart Urban Coastal sustainability), operational since the 1st September 2021. Bringing together all the labaratories, all the PhD students and most of the institution's masters programmes. This institute aims to address the many scientific issues raised by the anthropisation of the coastal area by facilitating decompartmentalised and interdisciplinary approaches, based on a proactive policy of innovation and dissemination of results, without forgetting the fundamental principles of ethics and scientific integrity. The creation of the LUDI Institute is surrounded by two other important projects, namely EU-CONEXUS European university, a network of European partner universities sharing a common speciality, and the CampusInnov site initiative, intended to establish a culture of innovation in both training and research.

• Context: settlement strategy

La Rochelle Université's specialisation was recognised in the framework of the PIA 4 call for Excellence projects by obtaining funding for the ExcelLR project, which will accelerate the institution's transformation process.

The ExcelLR project aims to consolidate our new university model around four key axes, all of which are centred on our area of specialisation, sustainable development in coastal areas:

Axis 1: Enhancing our research specialisation

One of the main challenges for any university is to attract talent. This is why the axis 1 will focus on increasing our attractiveness and specialisation by creating a Talent Management Center, and launching competitive research initiatives. Finally, to further reinforce our societal and territorial impact, we will create a decision-making support system that will provide support, analysis and impact simulations based on the latest scientific developments in the field of sustainable and intelligent urban coastlines and fed by our network of observatories.

Axis 2: Boosting attractivity by developing specialised curricula

In close alignment with axis 1, the university is focusing our educational efforts on the reform of master and doctoral programmes. In this context, a Graduate School is being created. It will enable us to attract the best students at national and international level.

Axis 3: Increase our societal impact and anchor our university in its territory

This axis aims to create a Comm'On Lab Science and Society to support the development and monitoring of the university's projects, whether they be research programmes, educational explorations or student initiatives, in order to anchor them in a societal strategy.

Axis 4: Designing new steering tools and indicators

This axis aims to build a new model of university through a major change: moving from fixed national guidelines to a specific success framework that reflects our ambition, and designing steering tools to support this new framework.

• Research theme

In the context of global changes and the increasing attractiveness of coastal areas, coastal risks are likely to increase significantly in the coming decades. These risks are of various kinds: risks linked to physical hazards (erosion, submersion, slow rise in sea level, etc.), risks of biological origin (introduction of invasive species, viral contamination, etc.), risks of chemical origin (pollution by heavy metals, persistent organic substances, emerging pollutants, etc.) and any other risk linked to anthropic pressure, including technological risks. All of this is aimed at improving the capacity for adaptation and resilience of coastal territories.

In this context, it is necessary to propose a project on, for example

• Characterisation, assessment and understanding of coastal risks, their origin and impact
• Anticipation, prevention and management of these risks
• The search for technological, ecological and planning solutions

The research theme is voluntary described in an open and multidisciplinary way so that several disciplines can be involved.

• Job description

The holder of the Senior Chair will have to carry out his/her research project within a laboratory of La Rochelle Université in a collaborative and multidisciplinary logic. The impact of the research and the openness to society must be sought in particular through the creation of cooperation networks and the response to ambitious calls for projects.

The Senior Chairholder will be required to carry out 64 hours of teaching and will be involved in a teaching department with a view to pedagogical innovation.

Research mission:

• Conducting research activities and monitoring the progress of work in conjunction with the Laboratory Management
• Development of research tools and methodology
• Drafting and dissemination of research results through appropriate channels, including open access
• Development of national and international cooperation networks
• Monitoring, response and management of various national, European and international calls for projects

Teaching assignments:

• Development and implementation of courses
• Assessment of learning outcomes and participation in juries
• Participation in the work of the teaching team in connection with the relevant teaching department

Cross-cutting tasks:

• Conducting collective projects
• Participation in scientific mediation activities
• Supervision (trainees, PhD students, post-docs) and leadership of research teams
• Participation in the management of human and administrative aspects with the support of dedicated staff.
• Participation in the various bodies of the laboratory and of LRUniv in general

Research project

The applicant must submit an original, high-level scientific project focusing on the theme of coastal risks. The scientific description of the project should show how it will generate new knowledge that will help to better understand and address current challenges in the sustainability of coastal areas.

Particular attention will be paid to aspects relating to open science and to the dissemination and valorisation of results, in particular to the transmission of knowledge to the citizen through actions to disseminate scientific culture and/or to the transfer of results to socio-economic actors by describing its innovation potential. The impact of the project could also be considered in terms of support to public policies carried out in coastal areas.

Applications will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

• Scientific background, achievements and international recognition of the applicant;
• Quality and scientific originality of the project;
• Relevance of the content to the scientific priorities of the University;
• Capacity to obtain additional funding;
• Prospects for the continuation of the research topic in the medium and long term;
• Dissemination of project results;
• Scientific and socio-economic benefits.