IÉSEG School of Management invites applications for a 24-month fully funded postdoctoral position in regional science, economic geography, and territorial studies in the context of the Horizon Europe project “JUSTPLACE” on its Lille campus starting in November 2026. He/She/They will be a part of the Department of “Management and Society”.

ABOUT IÉSEG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

IÉSEG holds the “triple crown” of international accreditations (AACSB, AMBA & EQUIS) and is a member of the “Conférence des Grandes Écoles”. The School offers Bachelor, Master and Post-Graduate Degrees as well as Executive Education programs. IÉSEG is also one of the leading French business schools in terms of research. The IÉSEG Research Center is accredited by the French CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research). Our Lille Campus is in the heart of Northern France (within the triangle made up by London, Paris and Brussels), and our Paris Campus is located in the biggest European business district of “La Défense”. More information on the school can be found here: www.ieseg.fr/en

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The department of “Management & Society” consists of over 25 full-time academic staff in the areas of Corporate Sustainability, Business and Society, Organization Studies and Strategic Management. The department explicitly welcomes cross-disciplinary research efforts needed to address the challenges currently faced by both for-profit and non-profit organizations, their stakeholders and the communities in which they operate.

The Management & Society Department, together with the IESEG Centre for Organizational Responsibility (ICOR), operate in line with the vision of the School to be “a unique international hub empowering changemakers for a better society”. The department and ICOR together aim to be a source of inspiration in the development of responsible and sustainable business practices, and a source of diffusion of creative knowledge and solutions. Current faculty members from the Management & Society Department have been successful in publishing articles in top-tier refereed journals including the Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Annals, Organization Science, Organization Studies, Journal of Management Studies, Strategic Management Journal, Business Ethics Quarterly, and Business & Society. An overview of our collegial group of professors can be found here: Management & Society Department

ABOUT THE POSITION

The appointment is for 24 months starting in November 2026 in Lille (on the campus of IÉSEG School of Management), with the possibility of one 12-month extension. Gross salary will be competitive with other European research and academic institutions.

This position is part of the Horizon Europe project JUSTPLACE – Justice and Participation through Localised and Citizen-Centred Engagement: Redesigning Democracy through People-in-Places Strategies.

JUSTPLACE examines the relationships between economic inequalities, territorial inequalities, perceptions of justice and injustice, and democratic dynamics across European territories. The project aims to produce robust scientific evidence and to develop place-sensitive tools and policy recommendations that can strengthen democratic resilience and citizen participation.

Within this framework, IÉSEG School of Management is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher with a strong background in regional science, economic geography, and territorial analysis, together with a clear interest in inequalities, democracy, territorial justice, and place-based public policy.

The postdoctoral researcher will contribute to the scientific activities of the project and will also assist the Principal Investigator in selected aspects of the project’s scientific and operational coordination.

The postdoctoral researcher will contribute actively to the implementation of the JUSTPLACE project. The position involves both research and project-related coordination tasks.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

· contribute to the conceptual and analytical development of the project.

· conduct literature reviews on territorial inequalities, spatial justice, left-behind places, democratic participation, territorial resilience, and people-in-places approaches.

· contribute to the collection, management, and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.

· participate in comparative territorial analyses across European case studies.

· contribute to the drafting of scientific deliverables, research reports, policy-oriented outputs, and academic publications.

· support the dissemination and valorisation of project results through conferences, workshops, and publications.

· interact with academic and non-academic partners across the consortium.

In addition, the postdoctoral researcher will assist the Principal Investigator in the coordination of the project, including:

· monitoring selected scientific tasks and their progress.

· preparing internal working documents and meetings with partners.

· consolidating information and inputs received from consortium members.

· supporting the preparation of reporting, synthesis, and coordination documents.

· contributing to the transversal follow-up of key project activities.

The postdoctoral researcher will join an international research environment within a European consortium bringing together universities, research centres, and institutional partners working on inequalities, territories, and democracy. The position offers the opportunity to contribute to a high-visibility European project located at the intersection of regional science, economic geography, territorial studies, and public policy analysis.

The selected candidate is expected to:

• hold a completed PhD in regional science, economic geography, geography, spatial planning, territorial economics, urban studies, political geography, or a closely related field by the time of the appointment.

• have a solid research background in territorial analysis and comparative research, and solid expertise in regional science, economic geography, or territorial studies.

• demonstrate a good knowledge of academic literature on regional inequalities, left-behind places, spatial justice, territorial cohesion, development trajectories, and democratic dynamics.

• be able to engage with both quantitative and qualitative methods, and to work in an international and interdisciplinary environment.

• be fluent in English and have experience in academic writing and publishing in the same language.

• have strong organisational and teamwork skills, and the capacity to manage deadlines.

Prior experience in European research projects, spatial analysis, comparative international research, or the handling of territorial databases will be considered an asset.

Knowledge of statistical, spatial, or qualitative data analysis software will be appreciated.

Professional experience and knowledge of French are a plus, but not a requirement.

Finally, we are looking for candidates who embody our core values of Accomplishment, Responsibility, Integrity, Solidarity, and Engagement, and fit our diverse and international culture in which over 50 nationalities are represented. IÉSEG places tremendous value on diversity and inclusion, and we therefore encourage applications from all backgrounds. Underrepresented groups in academia (notably women, minority ethnic groups, people identifying as LGBTQIA+, people with a (non-)visible disability, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds and/or economically developing countries) are particularly encouraged to apply, as we are highly committed to ensuring that IÉSEG reflects and benefits from the diversity present in society.

WORKING AT IÉSEG

At IÉSEG, we are committed to providing a supportive and engaging work environment. To new faculty members (and their partner), we offer a wide range of resources to help them integrate into the country, culture and school, such as individualized French language courses, a relocation allowance, and housing search assistance. Moreover, all faculty members have access to a competitive salary, as well as benefits such as French social security, a complementary health insurance, meal vouchers, a profit-sharing plan, and a contributory pension scheme. Finally, the school provides resources for research (e.g., funding for conferences and data collection) and offers competitive financial bonuses for high quality international peer-reviewed research publications.

JOIN IÉSEG!

When applying, please upload a single pdf file merging the following documents:

• Cover letter* of 3000 to 5000 words

• Detailed academic CV

• One example of academic writing or publication

• A letter of support of at least two referees

*The cover letter must explain how the candidate has understood the topic of the JUSTPLACE project and how they would propose to address it scientifically. In particular, applicants should outline how they would approach the study of the links between territorial inequalities and democratic dynamics through a combination of quantitative analysis and qualitative research based on interviews.

For any further question, you may contact Sebastien Bourdin (s.bourdin@ieseg.fr), Full professor and Principal investigator. Please note that applications received by email will not be reviewed.

APPLICATIONS WILL BE REVIEWED UNTIL THE POSITION IS FILLED