Research Engineer: Mapping Religious Heritage

Aix-Marseille Université; France; On-site; EUR 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Aix-Marseille Université seeks a Research Engineer for 12 months within ReligiS Group 2.2 to map religious heritage and build a georeferenced inventory. You will coordinate citizen science activities, develop databases, and integrate quantitative data with qualitative approaches, contributing to a platform for spatial analysis across PACA and Grand Est.

The role focuses on collecting data, organizing the inventory, and creating visualization tools, collaborating with partners, and producing

Qualifications

• PhD in humanities/social sciences focused on religion.
• Demonstrated digital skills, ideally via mapping, databases, or research data management.
• Proven research outputs through publications, conferences, or outreach.

Responsibilities

• Collect and manage data for the inventory.
• Structure and organize the database to facilitate data analysis.
• Develop and implement digital mapping tools for visualization and interpretation of results.
• Collaborate with project partners and coordinate joint actions.
• Disseminate research findings through social media, blogs, newsletters, etc.
• Participate in citizen science initiatives with ReligiS Group 7.2.

Education

PhD in the Humanities and Social Sciences focusing on religion

Demonstrated digital skills

Publications/conference experience/outreach

Tools

Database management

GIS mapping software

Job description

Organisation/Company Aix-Marseille Université Research Field Religious sciences » Other Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 1 Nov 2026 - 20:00 (Europe/Paris) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 39 Offer Starting Date 4 Jan 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

ReligiS is a major Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) initiative funded by the French State under the France 2030 investment programme. Running for six years (April 2025–March 2031), it is coordinated by the University of Strasbourg and brings together twelve French academic partners.

The programme has two main objectives:

• To develop a new, open, interdisciplinary, and international scientific framework for rethinking relations between societies and religions.
• To create conditions for large-scale knowledge transfer on religion from academia to policy makers and wider society.

We are seeking to appoint a research engineer based at Aix-Marseille University for 12 months to contribute to Research Axis 2, ‘Mapping Religion’, Research Group 2.2: ‘Religious Heritage and Memory(ies)’.

Research Group 2.2 examines the transformation of religious buildings that have lost their original function. The decommissioning of places of worship and closure of religious institutions have accelerated in Western countries as part of secularization processes. These developments have led to sales, occasional demolitions, and, more commonly, the reuse, conversion, repurposing, and recycling of religious buildings. Reuse has emerged as an alternative to physical disappearance and contributes to new forms of religious heritage-making, in which social, cultural, residential, or commercial functions increasingly replace liturgical ones.

The applicant will contribute primarily to the first, quantitative phase, establishing an inventory of reused places of worship in two French regions: Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) and Grand Est. No systematic inventory currently documents their spatial distribution (urban/rural), types of initiatives (public/private), uses (cultural, commercial, residential, recreational), or variations according to religious denomination and building type (churches, chapels, convent complexes, Protestant temples, mosques, synagogues). The researcher will develop and populate a database documenting the circulation and repurposing of religious heritage. The data will be integrated into a visualisation platform, including a georeferenced map designed to identify and analyse spatial patterns of circulation, reuse, and repurposing.

The research engineer will coordinate the project’s citizen science activities, including communication tools, public engagement initiatives, collection of oral and visual testimonies, and dissemination concerning rehabilitated religious heritage.

The research engineer will also contribute to connecting the quantitative inventory with complementary qualitative approaches and to their implementation.

Main Activities
• Collect and manage data for the inventory.
• Structure and organize the database to facilitate data analysis and processing.
• Develop and implement digital mapping tools for visualization and interpretation of results.
• Collaborate with project partners and coordinate joint actions.
• Collaborate with other sub-groups and projects within Research Axis 2 of ReligiS.
• Disseminate research findings through social media, research blogs, newsletters, and other communication channels.
• Participate in citizen science initiatives in collaboration with ReligiS Group 7.2.
• Contribute to the organization of scientific events for Research Group 2.2.
• Develop strategies integrating quantitative and qualitative research approaches.
• Produce scholarly outputs based on case studies from the inventory.

Gross monthly salary

Between €2,357and €2,925, depending on previous professional experience

Academic Qualifications and Research Experience

• PhD in the Humanities and Social Sciences focusing on religion, regardless of historical period or geographical area.

• Demonstrated digital skills, ideally acquired through projects involving mapping, databases, or research data management.

• Proven research experience evidenced through publications, conference presentations, outreach activities, or equivalent scholarly outputs.

Scientific and Technical Skills

• Strong command of research approaches and methodologies in the Humanities and Social Sciences applied to the study of religion.

• Demonstrated ability to collect, process, and analyse empirical data.

• Experience of database management and exploitation.

• Knowledge of digital mapping issues and mastery of relevant software and tools.

• Excellent analytical and academic writing skills.

Specific Requirements

Organizational and Interpersonal Skills

• Ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary research teams.

• Capacity to collaborate with a diverse range of institutional and academic partners.

• Autonomy, initiative, and responsiveness.

• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, respect for deadlines, and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.

Language Requirements

Good command of French, written and spoken.

Mobility

Short-stay travel to the Grand Est region will be required throughout the contract period for data collection and collaboration with project partners.

Gross monthly salary

between €2,357and €2,925, depending on previous professional experience

Languages FRENCH Level Good

Languages ENGLISH Level Good

Additional Information

Selection process

Please submit:

• A single PDF file containing:
  • Detailed CV, including experience in digital humanities and data management;
  • PhD dissertation report/examiners’ report;
  • Cover letter.
• PDF copy of the doctoral dissertation.
• One or two publications considered most relevant to the position.
• One letter of recommendation (excluding the PhD supervisor).