Description du sujet de thèse

WHAOU project (Well-being and Health Observatory within Urban trajectories)

The WHAOU project aims to create a multi-thematic and multidimensional observatory of well-being and health in the city, using the city of Paris as a case study, by analysing the flow of materials in sewage networks, census data and maintenance data. The project aims for long-term multi-parameter observation, enabling phenomena to be located in time and space, combined with innovation in observation metrics. Since the Covid-19 epidemic, a major research effort has been underway to monitor diseases in populations using wastewater, providing a metric for their prevalence. It is essential to understand the link between flows measured in wastewater, socio-economic metrics, general population health indicators and the perceptions and experiences of local residents. This will enable non-academic stakeholders to take ownership of the results in order to take appropriate mitigation measures, which will be tested as part of co-constructed and territorialised experiments during the project. The consortium will also assess the transferability of the approaches adopted to other regions, based on the interaction between the stakeholders and the progress made in the science-society dialogue.
The project is led by Sorbonne University (UMR METIS) and brings together a consortium of teams and researchers in biochemistry, sociology, philosophy, geography, urban planning, etc., as well as decision-makers and stakeholders from the city of Paris.
The project is organised into different Work Packages (WP). The second WP concerns the spatio-temporal analysis of health and well-being in Paris using different metrics (wastewater analysis, vulnerability indicators (housing, socio-spatial situation, socio-urban morphology, city practices, etc.), objectified and perceived health indicators, access to healthcare, local health promotion, etc.). Within this WP2, the LADYSS team of health geographers is responsible for monitoring the health situation in Paris in relation to the urban fabric and the organisation of the Parisian area. This approach will focus on the socio-spatial and territorial conditions of access to vaccination, screening and the occurrence of sexually transmitted diseases.
Spatio-temporal dynamics of sexually transmitted diseases in Paris
Little work has been done on the distribution of sexually transmitted diseases (HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis B, syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, etc.) in relation to the structure and dynamics of an urban area. The aim will be to describe the spatio-temporal dynamics of diseases in Paris, which can be analysed through the various existing surveillance systems, and to compare them with the observations obtained from wastewater sampling. In order to gain a better understanding of the logics at work in these distributions, the analysis will also take account of socio-spatial vulnerabilities, the organisation of facilities and services (healthcare, social services, transport infrastructure, urban facilities, etc.) and their accessibility, the prevention strategies put in place and the local action systems involved in this distribution. More qualitative approaches will also be considered on 8 sites selected as part of the project.

Contexte de travail

See LADYSS : https://www.ladyss.com/
See doctoral school 395 : https://ed-etc.parisnanterre.fr/
See WHAOU project : https://pepr-vdbi.fr/projets/projets-whaou
Candidates will already have research experience in analysing the links between territorial dynamics and health. They will be able to take a mixed approach, combining quantitative data processing (statistics, GIS), survey and interview techniques and field observations.
The person recruited will be part of the LADYSS “territories and health” workshop and will be able to help run this workshop as well as the LADYSS network of doctoral students. The ability to take part in multidisciplinary approaches will be considered.

Documents to be provided: CV / 2-page letter of application / abstract of Master's dissertation

Contraintes et risques

The post will be based at the University of Paris Nanterre in the LADYSS premises. An office and a workstation will be allocated to the person recruited.
Regular meetings with WHAOU project partners will be organised.
Fieldwork will take place in Paris
Documents to be provided: CV / 2-page letter of application / abstract of Master's dissertation