France Guérin-Pace

tells us about hosting PhD students at INED.

France Guérin-Pace heads INED’s Identities and Territories research unit. In August 2016 she became delegate in charge of doctoral and post-doctoral affairs. She manages PhD student hosting, student work contracts, budget programming and training needs, calls for student and post-doc applications for hosting at INED, call publication, and the applicant selection process. She is also in charge of relations with the university doctoral programmes in which students are enrolled and is in constant contact with the PhD students.

(Interviewed in September 2016)

Why does INED host doctoral students every year and in what framework are they received?

L’accueil de doctorants à l’Ined s’inscrit dans le cadre de ses missions de recherche et de formation. Les doctorants et post-doctorants constituent les chercheurs et enseignants de demain. Accueillir des doctorants contribue à renforcer des partenariats déjà existants avec des universités, différents établissements de recherche, en France et à l’étranger, ou à en nouer de nouveaux. Les doctorants accueillis à l’Ined, sont rattachés à une école doctorale par le biais d’une université française, ou étrangère dans le cas de co-tutelles. A travers l’accueil de doctorants, l’Ined enrichit ainsi ses collaborations scientifiques et sa production.

L’Ined accueille en tout une cinquantaine de doctorants, pour une durée d’un à trois ans, via des contrats doctoraux, conclus notamment avec le Labex iPOPs, mais aussi des financements extérieurs des écoles doctorales, ou encore des contrats CIFRE (conventions industrielles de formation par la recherche). Des doctorants inscrits dans des universités étrangères sont aussi accueillis à l’Ined pour des durées plus courtes (moins d’une année). Les doctorants de l’Ined relèvent de disciplines multiples (démographie, sociologie, géographie, épidémiologie, politique sociale, santé publique, anthropologie, etc.) reflétant à la fois les questions de société émergentes et des analyses démographiques plus classiques.

What are hosted doctoral students called upon to do at the Institute?

Each doctoral student is supervised by an INED researcher. Students become full-fledged members of the given research unit, taking part in its scientific activities and life. They are also eligible for funding—to attend a conference, for example. They have full access to all of the Institute’s documentary resources and can use INED research support services. Every year, in consultation with their INED supervisor, they present a report on their thesis work in progress, which is then sent to a doctoral student oversight committee for evaluation.

In addition to working on the research unit’s own projects, students take part in “PhD workshops” that combine thesis work presentations and sessions focused on methodological and practical questions. There is also a weekly Monday seminar, Les Lundis de l’INED, where young researchers, doctoral students or post-docs present their research. And they are of course welcome at all lectures and other scientific meetings held at INED.