Postdoctoral Researcher in Sociology (M/F)

Job Description

Missions

The successful candidate will be part of the research project EnDuSoutAu (“Engaging and sustaining careers in care and autonomy support professions in rural areas”). The project aims to shed light on the conditions that shape engagement and long-term commitment among care professionals working in rural settings.
This research is situated within a context where difficult working and employment conditions in certain care professions have been widely documented. In rural areas—sometimes referred to as “medical deserts”—a lack of facilities and professionals, long commuting distances, and demographic ageing may further deteriorate working conditions. The project also addresses issues related to supporting autonomy in rural territories, where needs are evolving and sometimes intensifying.
The project seeks to consider the full range of health professions involved in the care chain within a given territory, including those contributing to autonomy support (general practitioners and specialists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychomotor therapists, psychologists, speech therapists, podiatrists, nursing assistants, etc.). By covering a wide spectrum of professions and working conditions, the project aims to highlight variations in professional engagement, experienced hardships, and alternative career or geographical pathways in order to better understand professional trajectories.
The research is based on two fieldwork sites (one rural area near Lyon and another more remote rural area in the Massif Central) and is complemented by the analysis of the French Labour Force Survey (INSEE, 2020). It is structured around four main research axes:
Documenting territorial variations in working conditions in care professions and identifying occupational hardships in rural areas
Reconstructing career paths to better understand professional engagement, considering all life spheres and training issues
Analyzing how territorial configurations influence professional investment or overinvestment (e.g., lack of local services, social proximity)
Understanding the impact of work engagement on the health of care professionals
The recruited researcher will contribute to fieldwork, data analysis, and dissemination activities. They will also have the opportunity to develop their own research perspectives within the project.
For more information about the project, please contact Perrine Agnoux: perrine.agnoux@univ-lyon1.fr

Activity

- Contributing to the national and international literature review
- Leading fieldwork in two rural municipalities near Lyon and participating in data collection (biographical interviews, observations) across all sites (including occasional fieldwork in Corrèze)
- Participating in data analysis (transcription, thematic analysis, and writing case profiles)
- Contributing to research dissemination (conference presentations, publications, and interim and final reports)
- Contributing to the organization of a workshop scheduled for Spring 2027

Your Profil

Skills

Qualifications : PhD in Sociology
The candidate should have developed expertise in the sociology of work (relationship to work, longitudinal analysis of career paths, work-life articulation, occupational hardship, and health at work). Knowledge of care professions and attention to territorial dynamics would be an asset.
Skills and Requirements :
- Strong qualitative research skills (ethnographic methods, biographical interviews)
Proven writing skills demonstrated through publications
- Driving license and access to a vehicle
- Good command of English (for literature review and research dissemination)

Your Work Environment

The successful candidate will be based at the Centre Max Weber (Centre Berthelot, Lyon), with an expected regular on-site presence. Frequent field trips around Lyon and occasional stays in Corrèze are required. Travel expenses will be covered in accordance with CNRS regulations.
The postdoctoral researcher will join the MEPS team (Modes Espaces et Processus de Socialisation) and participate in the team's and laboratory's scientific activities (research seminars, presentation of previous work).
They will also contribute to the laboratory's Health research axis activities, including seminar participation.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

Salary starting from €3,071 gross per month (depending on experience)

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

The research professions