Post-doctoral fellow in Participatory design - 18 months contract

Who we are ?

Télécom Paris, part of the IMT (Institut Mines-Télécom) and a founding member of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, is one of France's top 5 general engineering schools.

The mainspring of Télécom Paris is to train, imagine and undertake to design digital models, technologies and solutions for a society and economy that respect people and their environment.

We are looking for a Post-doctoral Fellow in Participatory design. You will join the multidisciplinary INTERACT team (Interaction, Technology, Activity) within the Department of Economic and Social Sciences (SES) of Télécom Paris and will also be part of the CNRS laboratory "i3" (Interdisciplinary Institute of Innovation - https://i3.cnrs.fr/). The INTERACT team conducts research aimed at supporting innovation through creative, user-centered, and co-design approaches while exploring how technologies are appropriated and used in everyday life.

SCIENTIFIC CONTEXT

The selected candidate will contribute to a project in collaboration with the interdisciplinary center Energy4Climate of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, focusing on the SmartGTE demonstrator. The overall objective of this project is to implement equipment to optimize energy consumption in terms of flexibility in the housing sector. Flexibility is managed both on a daily basis (direct consumption) and inter-seasonally (heat storage deep underground). The demonstrator involves a set of residential buildings used by students, on-call staff, and military officers.

The introduction of new energy technologies often relies more on technological innovation than on acceptance, user experience, and dynamic context, which poses many barriers to changing consumption behaviors. Alongside the "technical" considerations of the demonstrator, this project aims to address issues of usage, habitability, participation, and behavior change, focusing on the residents of the buildings undergoing renovation. The goal is to understand how the residents' experience is impacted by the demonstrator's devices and what low-tech or low-cost devices can be used for energy flexibility in general and specifically for the Smart GTE devices.

The project will be structured in three phases: (1) analysis of needs and potential for changes in energy consumption behavior (interviews, observations, workshops, state of the art, etc.); (2) implementation and monitoring of solutions (creation of information materials, state of the art of existing and commercialized solutions, data visualization, etc.); (3) impact analysis (analysis of consumption data, retrospective interviews, etc.).

Your main tasks will be to :

• To carry out research missions in the field of participatory design

• To ensure supervision and tutoring missions

• To contribute to the reputation of the School, the Institut Mines-Télécom and the Institut Polytechnique de Paris

The ideal candidate will have a PhD or equivalent in Ergonomics, Design, Architecture, Design Sciences, or any related field relevant to the project.

You demonstrate ability to lead empirical work in real-world settings and analyze it (observations, interviews, participatory workshops, data collection, etc.) through prior experience.

You are recognized for your initiative, creativity, autonomy in carrying out work and for your analytical mindset.

Why join us?
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, shared shuttle departing from Porte d'Orléans). 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.

• Staff association at school and ministry level

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

Other information :
Application deadline: September 1, 2025
Job type : 18 months fixed-term contract
Job description ici

Required documents :

•          A detailed CV, including your educational background, a complete list of publications, awards, etc.

•          A cover letter of a maximum of 2 pages describing your interests, goals, and how they align with this project.

•          A copy of your most relevant publication; preprints are welcome.

•          Three references (names, email addresses, and a note on the professional relationship you have with each of them).

Scientific contact person: Stéphane Safin : stephane.safin@telecom-paris.fr; Panos Mavros panos.mavros@telecom.paris.fr; Michael Baker : michael.baker@telecom-paris.fr

Administrative contact person: Fanny Bruley : fanny.bruley@telecom-paris.fr

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.