Doctoral position, M/F, Philosophy of Science, Nancy, France. Explanatory progress and degrees of understanding

Job Description

Thesis Subject

Doctoral position, M/F, Philosophy of Science, Nancy, France. Explanatory progress and degrees of understanding

Topic. Explanatory progress and degrees of understanding in the mathematical / mathematized science.

Application deadline: April 10
For updates, please also check https://sharedocs.huma-num.fr/wl/?id=vMOHFDMLNLGROARW83MOznG7tcKvBd2u

Applications should be made through the CNRS job software interface.

The doctoral candidate will investigate how explanations of specific phenomena and their understanding can be gradably improved when these phenomena are covered by existing well-entrenched theories, laws, or models, have mathematical descriptions, and mathematical methods contribute to their exploration. For example (the following list is not exhaustive), approximation schemes, series expansions, perturbation techniques, renormalization group methods, asymptotic analysis, optimization strategies, or coarse-grained/fine-grained approaches contribute to investigating physical phenomena and potentially improving their explanations. Specific attention will be devoted to identifying, describing, and discussing case studies that exemplify improvements in explanatory value and/or understanding. Examples are expected to be drawn from physics, and strong connections to the literature on explanation and understanding are required. A cross-comparison with similar questions in mathematics may be welcome.


Keywords. Scientific Explanation. Understanding. Knowledge. Gradability. (Degrees of) Progress. Applied Mathematics. Physics.

The candidates are encouraged to engage with relevant parts of the recent literature about these questions.

The candidate will carry out his/her doctoral dissertation within the framework of the research project GRASP (“Gradability across Science and Epistemic Practices”), which was funded by the ANR in 2025 for 4 years (start date: April 2026; PI: Cyrille Imbert)

(https://anr.fr/fileadmin/aap/2025/selection/aapg-2025-selection.pdf, p. 313).

As such, the doctoral candidate will benefit from an excellent research environment with the opportunity to interact regularly with the researchers involved in the project and participate in the corresponding research activities. Interactions with other researchers and domains within the project (in particular philosophers of (applied) mathematics) are expected.

The GRASP project is devoted to analyzing how success is gradably achieved in particular activities, both in the empirical and formal sciences.

A specificity of the GRASP project is to put together general philosophers of science, mainstream epistemologists, and philosophers of physics, mathematics, applied mathematics, and biology (in particular Cyrille Imbert, Vincent Ardourel, Marianna Antonutti Marfori, Jean-Marie Chevalier, Alberto Naibo, Philippe Huneman, Andy Arana, Yacin Hamami; Jacques-Henri Vollet).

The GRASP project has a strong international dimension. The PhD candidate is expected to leverage the international networks and activities related to the project and its members.

Supervision. The successful candidate will be supervised by Cyrille Imbert (AHP, CNRS, Université de Lorraine) together with another researcher at IHPST (expectedly Vincent Ardourel, IHPST, CNRS, Paris 1-Panthéon Sorbonne).

Starting date. September 1, 2026 (but may be somewhat flexible).


Institutional affiliation. The PhD will be completed at the Archives Poincaré (University de Lorraine). A doctoral co-supervision with the IHPST and Université Paris 1 will be organized so that the doctoral student may benefit from both research environments.

Duration of funding. Three years (watch out, this is shorter than the four-year GRASP project).
Wages. 2300 € (“brut”). This corresponds roughly to 1920 euros once (compulsory) Social Security and pension levies have been deducted. This includes rights to unemployment benefits (up to 18 months) at the year of the 3-year contract.

Workload. No teaching duties are involved. However, the candidates are encouraged to get involved in some (optional) teaching activities (depending on the university's needs) with a limit of 64 hours a year (which may add up to 150-200 euros to the monthly wages, depending on the teaching load).

More details about the position and how to apply will be put online in an updated version of this document and/or on the Adum site.

Requirements: MA Degree in Philosophy, with a training in philosophy of science and epistemology. An additional degree in a relevant scientific field is an asset, but is not mandatory.

Skills. Ability to interact with other people and get involved in teamwork. Good philosophical writing.

Good English proficiency (at least B2). Mastery of French is not required, but the candidate is expected to develop his/her fluency over these doctoral years to make the best of his/her environment.


Contact: Cyrille dot Imbert at univ-lorraine; Vincent dot Ardourel at univ-paris1
(add the French termination for email addresses)

We are happy to exchange along the application process with potential candidates to help them prepare personal research proposals that are aligned with the global orientations of the funded project.


Timing.
- deadline for applications: April 10 (please recheck later on the above links in case of updates)
- interviews: beginning of May

How to apply: list of requested documents

- Candidate's CV

- Candidate's cover letter/letter of motivation

- Candidate's Bachelor's and Master's transcripts/certificates, with grades.

- One or two recommendation letters (should be transmitted by the people making the recommendation; letters to be sent to Cyrille Imbert and Vincent Ardourel).

- Official certificate or evidence of English Proficiency

- Two writing samples (e.g., Master's thesis with indications of a specific chapter to be read, term papers, essay, dissertation chapter, etc.)

- A research proposal agreeing with the global orientation of the target PhD subject (see above) and describing the specific questions you plan to tackle, state of the art, relevant list of references, research directions, example of scientific cases that would be central in your dissertation (and that may be object of case studies) and a concrete work plan or first sketch.
maximum length: 2000-2500 words (plus references).

The applications will be reviewed, and interviews with shortlisted candidates will be conducted by the supervisors and members of the research project at the beginning of May.

Your Work Environment

The PhD will be completed at the Archives Poincaré (University de Lorraine). A doctoral co-supervision with the IHPST and Université Paris 1 will be organized so that the doctoral student may benefit from both research environments.

The doctoral student will work in the context of the research project GRASP (see below)


Archives Poincaré (Université de Lorraine, CNRS, Nancy-Strasbourg, France)

The Archives Poincaré is a research institute, UMR 7117, affiliated with the Université de Lorraine and CNRS (the National Institute for Scientific Research), and it benefits from their joint support for hiring academics, staff support, and financial support.

Information about the institute, its members, and salient activities may be found on its site https://poincare.univ-lorraine.fr/fr/axes.

The Poincaré Archives are recognized in France and internationally for their research in philosophy of science and mathematics and the analysis of traditional and recent research practices.


IHPST (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, CNRS, Paris, France)

The Institut d'histoire et de philosophie des sciences et des techniques (IHPST) is a joint research unit in the philosophy of science. It is supervised by the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and the CNRS, where it is part of the Institut des sciences humaines et sociales (InSHS). It is located in central Paris, in the Maison de la philosophie de Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, not far from the Sorbonne and the Latin Quarter. It is one of the main institutions for philosophy of science in France.

For both institutes, research in the philosophy of science and mathematics benefits from strong and regular interactions with the network of other major French and international institutions working on these questions. They typically comprise collaborative work, joint seminars, co-organized workshops and conferences, and cosupervised doctoral students.

The Ph.D. candidate is expected to make the best of this exceptional research environment and to contribute to developing interactions with relevant partners.

Research project GRASP.

The candidate will carry out his/her doctoral dissertation within the framework of the research project GRASP (“Gradability across Science and Epistemic Practices”), which was funded by the ANR in 2025 for 4 years (start date: April 2026; PI: Cyrille Imbert)

(https://anr.fr/fileadmin/aap/2025/selection/aapg-2025-selection.pdf, p. 313).

A webpage for the project will be available soon.

As such, the doctoral candidate will benefit from an excellent research environment with the opportunity to interact regularly with the researchers involved in the project and participate in the corresponding research activities. Interactions with other researchers and domains within the project (in particular philosophers of (applied) mathematics and epistemologists) are expected.

The GRASP project is devoted to analyzing how success is gradably achieved in particular activities, both in the empirical and formal sciences.

A specificity of the GRASP project is to put together general philosophers of science, mainstream epistemologists, and philosophers of physics, mathematics, applied mathematics, and biology (in particular Cyrille Imbert, Vincent Ardourel, Marianna Antonutti Marfori, Jean-Marie Chevalier, Alberto Naibo, Philippe Huneman, Andy Arana, Yacin Hamami; Jacques-Henri Vollet).

The GRASP project has a strong international dimension. The PhD candidate is expected to leverage the international networks and activities related to the project and its members.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2300 € gross monthly

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