Post-doctoral fellow : Public problems of Data Centers — Chaire SHS TerrAINs - 18 months fixed-term contract

Télécom Paris, an international multidisciplinary center for education, research, and innovation, is a leader in the digital world.

We are seeking our future pots-doctoral fellow to join the Economics and social sciences Departement (SES) and the research Chair “TerrAINs”.

Scientific context :

The research Chair “TerrAINs” (Chaire SHS) focuses on the regional challenges associated with the development of digital infrastructure in France, particularly data centers. It is led by Pauline Gourlet and funded by the Île-de-France Region (2026–2029).

Long considered invisible, data centers are now at the heart of public and industrial policy debates, and the Île-de-France Region is currently home to a high concentration of these facilities (more than 165 by 2024), with numerous hyperscale data center projects under consideration.

As drivers of innovation, objects of speculation, and instruments for reaffirming national power, their rapid development also generates significant concerns—and even rejection—in France (as well as abroad). To date, it has not been subject to coordinated planning but remains largely a matter of isolated opportunities. Yet these infrastructure projects lie at the intersection of local issues (from land-use planning to environmental impacts) and national and international issues (from strain on electricity grids to questions of technological sovereignty and investment).

Within the Chair, the postdoctoral fellow will study how data centers—key components of digital infrastructure—give rise to and shape various public issues related to “territories” at different territorial scales. How, in turn, can the definition and prioritization of these issues facilitate collaborative decision-making to plan their deployment?

The ways in which people participate in shaping these public issues, as well as the production of the data needed to inform stakeholders’ positions, are as much a matter of technical democracy as they are a means of regaining control over the planning of public living environments. By integrating the Science and Technology Studies with Urban Studies through an innovative action-research methodology, TerrAINs seeks to make digital infrastructure an object of public discussion, while experimenting with tools for problem representation and participation tailored to contemporary infrastructure challenges.

The Chair focuses on three main streams:

1) An analysis of discourses on data centers, particularly regional, national, and international media discourses;

2) Description of the modalities of “infrastructuration”: situated practices, relationships with their milieux de vie, and frictions. This stream will focus on three sites in the Île-de-France region affected by hyperscale data center projects.

3) The Chair is designed as an action research laboratorythat experiments with new forms of representation and participation to problematize digital infrastructure otherwise.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Conduct research projects as part of the research Chair Terrains (streams 2 & 3)

• coordinate the Chair’s activities and contribute to projects led by other team members

• Participate in efforts to promote the work carried out within the Chair

• Provide supervision (interns, student, workshops)

See the detailed job description for a complete list of responsibilities.

We are seeking a candidate with a background in the social sciences and humanities (environmental humanities, Science and Technology Studies (STS), experimental anthropology, social geography, architecture/design, etc.). We are particularly attentive to interdisciplinary profiles who possess a solid theoretical and empirical understanding of socio-environmental transformations, situated knowledge, public issues, collective inquiry, and the relationship between science and society.

Required degree level: Ph.D.

Why join Télécom Paris ?

You'll be working in a fast-growing, pleasant, green and accessible environment (especially for people with disabilities) just 20 km from Paris (RER B and C suburban train lines, close to major roads). You will benefit from :

• 49 days annual leave (CA + RTT)

• flexible working hours (depending on department activity)

• telecommuting 1 to 3 days/week possible

• 75% public transport pass reimbursement

• Proximity to numerous sports facilities, concierge service, underground parking, in-house catering, etc.

• Good to know: our social security contributions are lower than in the private sector

Find more information concerning our environment on our website.

To apply, please send before November 22, 2026:

• Detailed curriculum vitae

• a letter (2–3 pages max) outlining the contributions the candidate would like to make in the context of the Chair, as well as their motivation for joining it (Note: this document replaces the cover letter);

• two publications relevant to this intention (beyond traditional academic criteria)

• a letter of recommendation

Other information :

Application deadline: november 22, 2026
Job type : 18 months fixed-term contract
Job description here

Salary : 36 000 € gross/year

Our recruitment is based on skills, without distinction of origin, age, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and all our positions are open to individuals with disabilities.