Senior Lecturer - Biogeography and Fieldwork

Grenoble, France

2026-04-02 (Europe/Paris)

Euraxess research field: Geography, Environmental science, Other, Biogeography, field observation, vegetation surveys, plant landscapes, environmental changes, human-environment interaction, mountain environments

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Expected skills:

Applicants must show a strong interest in teaching as well as a high-level scientific record in accordance with UGA’s ambitions. They must identify with UGA’s values, that is, being open to the world, emphasising ethics and scientific integrity, showing an interest in teamwork and being committed to the community. They should also have a sense of responsibility, in particular with regard to environmental and social issues.

Context and educational objectives:

Educational expectations

Possible levels of involvement:

The successful candidate will teach at IUGA, mainly in the “Environment” and “Ecosphere” courses of the Bachelor’s degree in “Geographie et Aménagement”, as well as in the specialised master's courses in environment, GEOÏDES and GEOSPHERES of the Master's degree in "Geographie, Aménagement, environnement et développement" (GAED). They may be called upon to teach classes in other courses.

Possible types of intervention:

Teaching will be delivered through workshops and field practice and will mainly focus on biogeography and the study of plant environments in relation to other topics such as pedology, biogeographical mapping and adaptive management of areas. Strong skills in vegetation are therefore expected in order to establish a progression of knowledge and skills from the Bachelor's to the Master's degree in the analysis of vegetation dynamics at different spatial and temporal scales (vegetation, soil, and climate interactions) in the context of environmental and societal changes.

The successful candidate may be responsible for teaching units corresponding to their area of expertise.

Supervisory responsibilities:

With a strong background in physical geography and expertise in biogeography, the successful candidate will participate in supervising students from the third year of undergraduate studies through to the second year of master's studies. In particular, they will contribute to supervising master's students' theses and internships. In the medium term, they will be expected to take on teaching responsibilities within the environmental programs.

Specific skills and field requirements:

The successful candidate will be responsible for organising and leading several workshops and field trips of all levels in biogeography (day trips or 3-4 day trips). Skills and experience in field practice with groups and outdoor teaching will therefore be necessary. Mountains are a very important part of IUGA's teaching and fieldwork. It will therefore be greatly appreciated if the successful candidate has experience and skills, such as in situ observation and data collection, in this type of environment as well as in other environments. Skills in soil science would be appreciated in order to introduce students to pedology and the study of soils as an interface with the environment. A high level of proficiency in the tools and methods of data processing specific to biogeography is also expected.

Finally, the training programme addresses plant environments and socio-environmental changes with the support of strong local collaborations. The successful candidate will therefore be responsible for coordinating these various activities. They will integrate local expertise into the progression of biogeography teaching at the Bachelor's and Master's levels in order to cover a wide range of knowledge and skills.

Research project and scientific impact:

Scientific profile

This position in biogeography aims to analyse the dynamics of socio-ecosystems and vegetation evolution in relation to environmental changes, anthropogenic pressures, and available resources. By focusing on vegetation, the work of the successful candidate will contribute to the study of physical environments and their responses and adaptations to climate change and, more broadly, to the multi-scale and systemic analysis of socio-environmental changes (critical zone, human/environment interface). Particular attention will be paid to research also involving soils and their position at the interface with the environment.

The successful candidate will have solid field experience in the analysis of plant formations, particularly in mountain environments, and excellent technical skills in the collection, processing, and analysis of spatial data (spatial analysis and statistics, landscape trajectories).

The successful candidate will join the Environments team, which brings together researchers from the social sciences and natural sciences to address environmental issues, and will focus on inter-team collaboration within the unit. An appetite for interdisciplinary dialogue between the social sciences and natural sciences is essential for joining a laboratory such as Pacte. The research conducted by the successful candidate may fall within the scope of the Environments team's areas of focus, which incorporate physical approaches, environmental observation, and quantitative geography tools, such as “Landscapes,” “Biodiversity,” and “Methodological Pluralism.”

Finally, they will be able to participate in research initiatives related to the University of Grenoble and its IDEX (Federation and Labex OSUG - Grenoble Observatory of Universe Sciences, Labex ITTEM - Territorial Innovations and Transitions in Mountain Areas, Zone Atelier Alpes, Sentinelles des Alpes, FORESEE consortium on climate change adaptation, etc.).

The successful candidate will be required to demonstrate their ability to conduct innovative research, published in leading French and international journals in the field and in connection with research networks in the field. Fluency in English is essential in order to publish in this language and to engage in international collaborations.

Job details

Title
Senior Lecturer - Biogeography and Fieldwork

Employer
Université Grenoble Alpes

Location
621 avenue Centrale Grenoble, France

Published
2026-03-09

Application deadline
2026-04-02 16:00 (Europe/Paris)
2026-04-02 16:00 (CET)

Job type
Lecturer / Senior Lecturer

Field
Biogeography, Environmental Science, Botany and plant science, Ecology, Geography,
Soil Science