Contexte du recrutement et définition de poste :

Annonce : https://fr-carrtel.lyon-grenoble.hub.inrae.fr/actualites-du-carrtel/offre-de-postdoctorat-2026-a-l-inrae-carrtel

Work environment, missions and activities  

You will join the CARRTEL research unit (INRAE, Thonon-les-Bains), a leading French institute in freshwater ecology and limnology. Based at the Lake Geneva limnological station, you will become part of a dynamic, interdisciplinary research environment with regular seminars, scientific exchanges, and collaborations across INRAE, Pôle ECLA, EdF, etc.   The position is funded by the Pôle ECLA research cluster, bringing together INRAE, the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), and Université Savoie Mont Blanc. You will interact with more than 70 researchers working on freshwater ecosystems, biodiversity, remote sensing, and ecological modelling, while benefiting from strong technical support and an extensive collaborative network.   Your mission will be to develop and apply large-scale one-dimensional lake models to improve predictions of the impacts of climate change on French lakes. Building on existing modelling frameworks and national datasets, you will refine thermal and water-level simulations for hundreds of lakes and reservoirs, contribute to high-impact scientific publications, and help deliver operational datasets for researchers and environmental managers.   You will be more specifically in charge of:

• Developing, calibrating, and validating 1D hydrodynamic models (GLM) for French lakes and reservoirs by integrating thermal structure and water-level dynamics using in situ and satellite observations.
• Analysing and interpreting model outputs, contributing to scientific publications, and collaborating with researchers in freshwater ecology, remote sensing, hydrodynamic modelling, and greenhouse gas research.
• Producing large-scale datasets and modelling tools for the scientific community and environmental managers, while contributing to the further development and dissemination of Pôle ECLA resources (e.g., https://geoecla.fr/).

The project builds on a successful proof of concept by a postdoc who worked for 1 year on the project and will continue collaborating on the project. This experience provides a strong foundation for achieving publishable results while leaving room to explore complementary research questions and develop new collaborations. This makes it a strong opportunity for a postdoc interested in large-scale analysis and applied/operational research, who enjoys collaboration and wishes to add their own research interests to the project.  

Contract details

• Duration: 12 months, renewable
• Starting date: as early as possible from 01/09/2026. Contracts at INRAE can only start on the 1st of the month.
• Remuneration: Salary follows a progressive pay-scale based on experience. Candidate with a PhD will be hired as a Research Engineer, and remuneration starts at 2815€/month gross salary for a candidate with no postdoc experience (https://jobs.inrae.fr/en/news/remuneration-contractual-staff).

How to apply
Please send your resume (CV) and a cover letter to rosalie.bruel [at] ofb.gouv.fr. In your email, explain how your profile aligns with the research proposed in the offered position. Application can be written either in English or French.
Please name the file: “postdoc_2026_PREDILAC_NameFirstname.pdf”

Profil recherché :

• PhD, preferably with training in aquatic modelling (applicants with no PhD but relevant experience will be considered);
• Knowledge of GLM (Hipsey et al, 2019, DOI: 10.5194/gmd-12-473-2019) is preferable (or willingness to learn);
• Programming skills in Python and/or R.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative;
• Curiosity and enjoys collaborative work;
• Motivated by applied and operational research;
• Enjoys scientific writing and manuscript preparation;
• Knowledge of French would be an advantage for integration within the team, as most of the laboratory is French-speaking, but it is not required.