Nataliia Bielova and Aurore Fass are seeking candidates interested in applying for a junior permanent research position to join the new team we are creating at the Inria Centre at Université Côte d'Azur.
We are particularly interested in candidates in EU Data Protection Law (GDPR and ePrivacy), Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA). Interested candidates should get in touch with us in advance (i.e., before their application file is ready) to already express interest. Upon common agreement about the topic interests of the applicant, we will provide advice and guidance for the application process (initial submission and subsequent hearing).
An applicant needs to participate in the national French competition for a Inria Starting Research Faculty Position (ISFP) dedicated to the Social and Human Sciences.
ISFP: € 50,652 (less than 3 years post-PhD) or € 57,372 (more than 3 years post-PhD)
Inria is a French national institute for research in digital science and technology, and contains 10 research centers in various regions in France. At Inria, researchers work in teams ("equipes-projets" or EPI in French), containing several tenured researchers and sometimes university professors. Nataliia Bielova and Aurore Fass are currently creating a research team that Nataliia Bielova will lead at the Inria Centre at Université Côte d'Azur at the French Riviera, next to Nice and Antibes.
Inria will open a competition for the Inria Starting Research Faculty Position (ISFP) in February 2026. A candidate can apply to this position by filling out one application file (see an example of a template from 2024 here).
After the expression of interest, upon a common agreement about the topic interests of the applicant, we will provide further guidance for the application process.
The candidate should have a PhD degree in Law and demonstrate a strong background, ability to develop a research program and excellent academic achievements in their corresponding field of law, and interested in collaborating with the Computer Science researchers at Inria aroung the topics of
Nataliia Bielova studies online privacy, where she evaluates Web applications in measuring, quantifying and understanding privacy risks and detecting potential violations with the law, in order to ensure privacy and respect human rights of Internet users. She takes a transdisciplinary approach applying computer science methods and collaborating with scholars in Law and Design on the topics of online tracking, privacy, and dark patterns.
Aurore Fass designs practical approaches to protect the security and privacy of Web users. She builds systems to proactively detect malicious JavaScript code and suspicious browser extensions. She analyzes data to understand how people spend time on the Web, and she wants to use the resulting perspectives to prioritize defense strategies.
The Inria Centre at Université Côte d'Azur counts 37 research teams and 9 support departments. The center's staff (about 600 people including 400 Inria employees) is composed of scientists of different nationalities (250 foreigners of 50 nationalities), engineers, technicians and administrators. The majority of the research teams at the center are located in Sophia Antipolis in the Alpes-Maritimes region of the French Riviera.
Can I apply immediately after I have obtained my PhD?
PhD is a minimal and sufficient requirement. Nevertheless, an ideal candidate would have 5-6 years experience of doing research, for example a EU PhD (3-4 years) followed by 1-2 years of postdoc, or US PhD (5-6 years).
Is there an age limit for the junior permanent research position?
No, there is no age limit for this position.
Do I have to relocate to France if I get this position?
Yes, the successful candidate should relocate to France and work at the Inria Centre at Université Côte d'Azur. Working outside of France is not allowed at Inria, but home office may be agreed upon with the group leader (up to 3 days per week, for a maximum of 90 days per year).