About INRAE
The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) is a public research institution that brings together a working community of 12,000 people across more than 270 research, service, and experimental units located in 18 centers throughout France. INRAE is one of the world’s leading institutes in agricultural and food sciences, plant and animal sciences, and environmental ecology. Its research aims to develop solutions for multi-performing agriculture, quality food, and sustainable management of resources and ecosystems.
Work Environment, Missions & Activities
You will work within the Animal Health Department of the ASTRE Joint Research Unit (UMR) at CIRAD. ASTRE’s objective is to improve animal health, public health, and food security in the Global South, particularly in the context of global changes and socio-ecosystem transitions. The major goal is to develop an integrative health approach: intersectorality and interdisciplinarity around the animal, the ecosystem, and the territory, within One Health and EcoHealth frameworks.
Your mission will be to study bat communities using caves located along a gradient of anthropization within tropical regions historically rich in biodiversity. The project is part of the BCOMING project (https://bcoming.eu), which aims to understand the emergence of infectious diseases and the links between biodiversity and human health. Data is being collected using a standardized protocol in several biodiversity hotspots: Cambodia (Cappelle et al., 2021), Guinea, and Congo (Labadie et al., 2024). Data sources include camera traps, acoustic sensors, and environmental DNA (eDNA).
The PhD will focus on three environments:
1. Agroecosystems around and inside caves in Cambodia, where paramyxoviruses, other coronaviruses, and trematodes are studied. Cave use, disturbance rates, and types of activities inside and outside caves are monitored with camera traps and bioacoustic detectors. Prevalence and incidence of various pathogens are assessed through guano sampling from cave floors.
2. Agroecosystems in and around caves in Guinea: similar data collection has taken place there.
3. Agroecosystems in and around caves in Congo: similar data collection has also occurred.
Your thesis will establish a standardized framework for combining and analyzing data from camera traps, acoustic data, and environmental DNA, enabling an integrative, multi-scale approach (from the local cave level to the landscape level) and multiresolution analysis across spatial and temporal scales.
Research Questions
Your research will be structured around three main questions:
1. How does host biodiversity vary along a gradient of anthropization
2. Do localized anthropogenic disturbances significantly affect the presence and activity of reservoir host species?
3. Is variation in pathogen circulation within animal communities explained by variation in biodiversity?
Required Education & Skills
Recommended Education:
– Master’s degree (or equivalent, e.g. engineering school) in wildlife ecology, statistical ecology, or health ecology.
Desired Knowledge:
– Community ecology
– Bat ecology
– Epidemiology
– Biodiversity in tropical regions
Preferred Experience:
– Use and analysis of camera trap and acoustic data
– Statistical modeling
– Epidemiological approaches
– Scientific writing and publication
Personal Qualities:
– Autonomy
– Teamwork
– Rigor
– Strong interpersonal and writing skills
– Experience in supervising student interns is a plus
Working Conditions at INRAE
Depending on the type of contract, you may benefit from:
– 30 days paid leave + 15 RTT days annually (for full-time)
– Parental support: child care vouchers, recreation subsidies
– Skills development: training, career counseling
– Social support: listening, social aid and loans
– Vacation and leisure benefits: holiday vouchers, preferential accommodations
– Sports and cultural activities
– Subsidized catering services
Hosting and poistion details
– Host Unit: INRAE – UMR ASTRE
– Location: 34980 Montferrier-sur-Lez, France
– Contract type: Fixed-term contract (CDD)
– Duration: 36 months
– Start date: October 1, 2025
– Salary: €2,200 gross/month (based on INRAE pay scale)
How to apply
Please send a cover letter and CV to:
Email: julie.louvrier@inrae.fr
Application deadline: June 25, 2025
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