Research Laboratory on Digital Textualities
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Call for applications: 36-month funded PhD position

Consult the full version here.

The LASLAR research laboratory at the University of Caen Normandy is offering a funded PhD position in partnership with the Research Laboratory on Digital Writing, as part of the CaeSAR programme (CaeSAR — Caen Strategy for Accelerating Research · Excellence · France 2030). The PhD thesis will be entitled “Towards a History of the Dynamics of Scientific Memory Formation through Technical Bibliographic and Referencing Devices (Print and Digital)” and will focus on scholarly publishing as a process of constructing scientific memory, and more specifically on bibliographic tools, referencing systems, and metadata that organise the circulation of knowledge.

Encadrement

Laure Himy-Pieri, Professor in the Department of French Language and Literature at the University of Caen Normandy, LASLAR (UR 4256), Director of the Presses universitaires de Caen.

Marcello Vitali-Rosati, Professor in the Department of French-language Literatures at the University of Montreal, Canada Research Chair in Digital Writing.

Contract and Funding

The contract will be subject to the following terms and conditions:

  • Expected contract start date: November 1, 2026.
  • Place of employment and affiliated laboratory: LASLAR (UR 4256, Unicaen), Maison de la Recherche en Sciences Humaines (MRSH) – University of Caen Normandy, 14000 Caen, France.
  • Status: 36-month doctoral contract (full-time, public-sector employment contract for a period of 3 years, in accordance with Decree No. 2009-464 of April 23, 2009).
  • Salary (as of January 1, 2026): gross salary of €2,300/month. Further information: https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/fr/le-financement-doctoral-46472
  • Additional activities (e.g. teaching) may be undertaken within the framework provided by law and are to be discussed with the PhD supervisors and the laboratory.

Application Materials

The application file (in French or English) must include:

  • PhD research proposal: a PhD research proposal corresponding to the requirements set out in the call for applications (see full call), with a maximum length of 10,000 characters (excluding spaces and excluding a one-page indicative bibliography);
  • A detailed CV highlighting any experience relevant to the profile, themes, and research objects of the call, as well as the candidate’s language skills;
  • A cover letter explaining how the candidate intends to address the objectives and research challenges of the proposed doctoral position.A copy of the Master’s degree; or, where applicable, a certificate from the research supervisor confirming that the thesis defence will take place no later than June 15, 2026;
  • Master’s degree transcripts;
  • A 5,000-character summary of the Master’s thesis;
  • A sample of individual written work (article, conference paper, Master’s thesis).

For further information regarding the application, please contact Laure Himy-Pieri (laure.himy-pieri@unicaen.fr).

Timeline

The application must be submitted electronically as a single PDF file containing all the required documents, no later than September 11, 2026, to the following email addresses: laure.himy-pieri@unicaen.fr and valerie.vignaux@unicaen.fr. Please use the following naming convention for the document title: NOM_FirstName_Thesis_PALIMPSEST_2026.pdf

Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. Following the review of applications by the selection committee, interviews will be organised, either by videoconference or in person, with shortlisted candidates, in early October 2027.