Call for Applications – Postdoctoral Researcher "Faire collection" / Ecole normale supérieure-PSL

Working Environment and Context

Located in the heart of Paris, the École normale supérieure -PSL brings into dialogue all fields of knowledge, innovation, and creation. Ranked among the world’s top 50 universities, it provides research‑led training for researchers, artists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and leaders who are mindful of their individual and collective social responsibility.

Host Institution

The Institut d’Histoire Moderne et Contemporaine (IHMC, UMR 8066), for which ENS‑PSL is one of the supervising institutions, is one of the leading research units in France in the field of modern and contemporary history. The IHMC’s mission is to study, over the long term, the historical processes that have shaped the contemporary world since the fifteenth century. The modern and contemporary periods are approached as a single historical cycle—that of modernity—characterized in particular by the intensification of circulation and exchange and by the constant expansion of connected spaces, in Europe and beyond.

Its scientific activities, as well as the individual and collective work of its members, are structured around six major research axes collectively defined in 2023 in preparation for the new five‑year contract (2024–2028). The IHMC leads numerous research programmes and scientific collaborations at both national and international levels, including the PSL Major Research Programme (GPR) Faire collection, co‑led with EPHE‑PSL, within which the position to be filled is situated.

The postdoctoral researcher will be hosted in the IHMC offices located on the ENS‑PSL campus at 45 rue d’Ulm, Paris.

For further information: https://ihmc.ens.psl.eu/

Main mission

Holding a PhD in History awarded within the past three years, and with expertise in the history of the book and the history of education in the early modern period, the postdoctoral researcher will be recruited by the École normale supérieure / Paris Sciences et Lettres (www.ens.psl.eu) and affiliated with the IHMC. The postdoc will conduct research within the project Survey of Translated Texts in PSL Heritage Collections, directed by Maria Pia Donato.

The project focuses on the translation of scientific literature, its intellectual stakes and pedagogical uses, as well as the material legacy of these practices within PSL collections (specifically those of the École normale supérieure - PSL, Mines Paris - PSL, École pratique des hautes études - PSL, and ESPCI Paris - PSL) between the late eighteenth and early twentieth centuries—a period marked by the simultaneous expansion of publishing, higher education, and libraries. The project proposes a critical reassessment of activities carried out within these institutions through the study of translations, understood both as texts and as objects.

The research team to which the postdoc will be affiliated will analyse catalogues, acquisition registers, and, where possible, lending records, complemented by the study of surviving copies in order to identify reading marks and other traces of use. The project will then examine the involvement of members of these institutions in the international translation market—as translators, preface writers, or scientific editors—drawing on additional sources, notably journals and official publications of the institutions, theses, as well as personal archives and private collections of professors and scholars.

The postdoctoral researcher will also be expected to contribute to the activities of the GPR Faire collection, in particular by supporting the organization of the transversal seminar, participating in seminar sessions, and contributing to the GPR website through monitoring and reporting on the activities of affiliated projects (News section).

Main activities

Analyse catalogues (print and digital), acquisition registers, and lending registers of ENS - PSL, EPHE - PSL, Mines Paris - PSL, and ESPCI Paris - PSL
Contribute to the development of a biobibliographical database
Examine physical copies of translated texts preserved in the libraries of these institutions
Write research blog posts (Hypothèses blog; Faire collection programme website) and an article for a peer‑reviewed journal
Contribute to the organization of scientific events at the level of the GPR Faire collection (transversal seminar) and of the Survey project
Participate in the maintenance and enrichment of the GPR Faire collection website.

Specific Conditions

The position is part of the PSL Major Research Programme Faire collection. As such, the postdoctoral researcher will be required to participate in and present their research at the GPR seminar, and to write research posts and, in collaboration with the scientific lead Maria Pia Donato, a text for the Explore PSL website.

Required Qualifications and Skills

Degree: PhD in History (thesis defended within the three years preceding the application deadline)

Professional experience:

Research and teaching experience in an international context
Research activity evidenced by scholarly publications

Knowledge:

Strong knowledge of issues and methods in the history of the book and publishing, with elements of library science and the history of pedagogy
Excellent command of French (native speaker or certified DALF C2 level)
Proficiency in two foreign languages; basic knowledge of additional modern languages is an asset

Technical Skills:

Experience with tools and/or collaborative platforms for bibliographic description
Familiarity with WordPress and/or Omeka S

Interpersonal Skills:

Ability to work collaboratively and engage in scholarly exchange
Responsiveness
Ability to organize and conduct research independently

Additional information

Start date: 1 April or 1 May 2026
Primary workplace: Paris
Workload: Full‑time (100%)
Salary: According to scale and experience

ENS‑PSL is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities and to promoting gender equality and diversity.

Application procedure

The application file must include:

A short cover letter
Curriculum vitae (including a list of publications)
PhD defense report
Three publications (PDF format)