M/F Postdoctoral position in geomorphology applied to the study of rock art

Job Description

Missions

Postdoctoral contract in geomorphology applied to the study of sites, particularly rock schematic rock art sites of southern France. The contract will be carried out in the ANR SCHEMA project (https://schema.hypotheses.org/a-propos). ANR SCHEMA is an interdisciplinary project aimed at developing a method for studying shelters with schematic paintings by combining archaeology, geomorphology, materials science, planetary science, cognitive science, and social anthropology. The postdoctoral researcher will be supervised by Claudia Defrasne (CNRS Research Fellow, EDYTEM) and will join the “Societies and Morphodynamics” teams of the EDYTEM laboratory.

Activity

The objective of this postdoctoral research is to reconstruct the morphogenic history of schematic rock art site and their anthropogenic use through the mapping of their rock walls. In particular, it will involve placing graphic acts within the chronology of the shelters thus revealed, understanding the diversity of their uses, and examining changes in their accessibility.
The research will focus on previously unstudied shelters in Combe Vaumale, shelter 23 at Baume Brune, and the Perret shelters, all located in the Vaucluse. Some of the Combe Vaumale shelters are perched on cliff faces and are inaccessible without appropriate climbing equipment, raising questions about their accessibility during past periods of human use. The Baume Brune site features rock walls rich in morphogenetic information (concretions, black deposits, flaking, paintings, etc.), providing key evidence for reconstructing the shelter's history. The study of the Perret shelters follows previous geomorphological work conducted on their floors (Burnet, 2025), which reconstructed the chronology of morphogenic events of natural or anthropogenic origin and revealed different phases of human occupation during the Neolithic. The study of the walls will refine our understanding of human use of the site.
The wall analysis envisaged in this postdoctoral research aims to integrate rock paintings into a morphogenic history. The chrono-cultural attribution of these graphic acts remains uncertain and imprecise. A Neolithic attribution has been proposed based on the recurrence of archaeological material found in shelters where it has been preserved. However, it is necessary to develop new methods and approaches to provide a more precise chronological framework for these paintings.
Morphogenetic analysis of rock walls through a geomorphological approach has already proven effective in the study of the Bruguier shelters (Gard), conducted as part of a recent doctoral project (Burnet, 2025). This method allows the production of paintings to be placed within a relative chronology of the wall's history, taking into account both natural processes (aeolian deposits, flaking, concretions, etc.) and anthropogenic ones (breakage, graffiti, soot deposits, etc.).
The resulting relative chronology ultimately makes it possible to identify relevant areas for dating (U/Th, 36Cl, 14C, etc.), thereby anchoring the relative chronology derived from wall mapping within an absolute chronology.

Your Profil

Skills

Education, scientific skills sought, desired professional experience. Knowledge of techniques, operational skills, software, etc.
The postdoctoral researcher must have excellent command of morphogenetic analysis at the scale of shelters as well as at very fine (centimetric) scales of forms, formations, and transformations on rock walls. They must be able to use 3D acquisition and processing tools (laser scanning/LiDAR and photogrammetry) and be proficient in producing geomorphological maps at different resolutions.
The candidate should also have knowledge of the issues related to the study of rock art sites and demonstrate openness to other disciplines. As this research involves extensive fieldwork in sometimes steep environments, the candidate must also have very good physical fitness.

Your Work Environment

Presentation of CNRS, the laboratory, partners, interactions, and collaborations. Working environment, objectives, and available resources.
Research will be conducted at the EDYTEM laboratory, an interdisciplinary Joint Research Unit of CNRS and Université Savoie Mont Blanc (geomorphology, geology, geography, archaeology, sedimentology), with mountain environments as a shared focus.
The postdoctoral researcher will join the ANR SCHEMA project team, which brings together researchers, research engineers, and PhD students from various laboratories and disciplines (LPG, IPAG, LaMPEA, LAPCOS, MONARIS).
This postdoctoral research will directly contribute to the project by advancing methodological development in wall mapping and improving understanding of past uses of steep environments. The researcher will therefore interact with all disciplines involved in wall studies.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

3041.56-3467.33

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

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