Laura Michel

PhD opportunity at the University of Montpellier in the field of transition public policies, governance, and social sciences. This 36-month doctoral position is part of KIPPT 2 (Key Initiative on Public Policies of Transition) , a programme of the University of Montpellier funded by France 2030 and led by Laura Michel at CEPEL (UMR 5112) . The project sits at the intersection of political science, economics, law/juridical sciences, geography, anthropology, and sociology, with a strong emphasis on analysing how public policies for ecological and territorial transition are designed, coordinated, and implemented. The doctoral researcher will examine how multiple transition policies interact, generate synergies or tensions, and how social and political actors identify, formalise, prioritise, and arbitrate these tensions. The thesis can focus on one or more policy configurations, such as energy, biodiversity, food, water, or land-use planning. A key objective is to contribute to nexus approaches while bringing greater attention to territorial issues, land governance, and power relations. Research activities include an empirical study of the articulation between two or more transition public policies, possibly across multiple sites; analysis of how tensions emerge and are handled; assessment of the role of policy instruments, criteria, and coordination modes; and examination of how social and environmental justice considerations are integrated. The methods may be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed, depending on the doctoral project and supervisory guidance, and a comparative or international dimension may also be developed. The position is a full-time, fixed-term PhD contract based in Montpellier, France , with a gross monthly salary of €2,300 . The contract runs from 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2029 . Applicants should hold a master’s degree or equivalent in one of the listed social science or law-related disciplines and demonstrate strong skills in public policy analysis, ecological transition, interdisciplinary work, academic writing, oral communication, and scientific English. The application deadline is 17 October 2026 at 23:59 (Europe/Paris) . Applications are submitted by email to [email protected] . The project is hosted within a research environment offering seminars, study days, academic and institutional partnerships, doctoral training support, and opportunities for international scientific collaboration.