How to apply to CNRS

The CNRS offers each year permanent positions of "chargés de recherche". This article presents the different steps for the application. The informations presented here are only advices. All applicant has to refer to the official rules and dates mentioned on the official CNRS web page (see link in the article).

Conditions required to apply to CNRS

To apply to the CNRS competition, it is necessary to possess a doctorate or to be able to give proof of equivalent qualifications and research experience. Since 2006, there is no more limit of age for the concours of chargés de recherche (second class), nevertheless the committee will take into account the scientific work of the candidate as well as his age. There is no restriction concerning the nationality of the candidate.


Application

The deadline for the application (online inscription is obligatory) is generally before mid-january. The application should include:
  1. a curriculum vitæ of the candidate
  2. a list of publications
  3. a research project
The research project can be written in english. It has to expose the main lines of a research work and to present the envisaged collaborations. These latter have preferably to be prepared in advance with the concerned persons.

Furthermore, it is needed to specify in the application one or several wishes for the laboratory. We strongly advise applicants to contacts those laboratories very soon (october or beginning of november) in order to increase the chances of success. For the application to be valid, the chosen laboratories should depend on the same "CNRS section" as that of the job offer. For example, the LPMMC depends on the CNRS sections 05 and 06 and has also members from section 02.

Oral presentation

Once the application form is sent, it will be examined by the committee of the competition section, which will chose a day for the oral presentations, usually in April or in May. The oral presentation is often very short (all the candidates with a valid application are listened), about 10 to 15 minutes, during which the candidate has to present his project and to answer to the questions of the competition committee.


Admissibility and admission

Following the oral presentations, the committee deliberates and puts forward a list of admissibility, the week after the oral presentations. This list includes generally a complementary list. It has to be confirmed by the scientific department, which is allowed to modify the ranking of the competition. Then the list becomes a list of admission, published generally at the end of June or beginning of July.

For more information on the competition process, have a look on the official page.