Metz, France

Body in which the person concerned is destined to be appointed: University Professor

Publication profile (title of the contract and the position concerned): Digital communication, games, public health

Location: Metz, France

Job profile and EURAXESS (maximum two-line summary of the profile in English):

At the intersection of social sciences and humanities, engineering and medicine, the researcher will explore in an interdisciplinary way the applications and relationships between game and health. Euraxess research fields (see coding table in the annexed documents): Communication sciences

Job profile:

Nature and purpose of the research project:

Searching for innovative solutions in the domain of health is one of the six major challenges of Université de Lorraine. The mission related to the Junior Professorship Chair will be carried out in the field of game studies, in which the Centre for Research on Mediations (CREM - UR 3476) is a pioneer and driving force in France. At the intersection of social sciences and humanities, engineering and medicine, the researcher will explore, in an interdisciplinary way, the applications and relationships between game and health: gamification, mediation of health problems, relationship between e-sport and health, acquisition of knowledge on certain subjects from game experiences (human relationships, psychological disorders, resilience), etc.

CREM has developed expertise in “expressive games”. The latter refer to games that allow players to put themselves in the shoes of others to explore psycho-social and cultural problems. The “Expressive Gamelab” (created by CREM), offers an appropriate environment and the necessary equipment for the analysis of digital games and their applications, and the development of new scientific perspectives in the field of game studies. Eight doctoral projects are currently being conducted within the lab. The latter also aims to strengthen relations with the general public and the local institutions. CREM’s next five-year program focuses on the theme of “living together”, and takes a special interest on making life better for the most vulnerable, those suffering from health problems. Research is already being carried out on mediation in the health sector.

The position is located in Metz, an attractive city with cultural venues (e.g. Pompidou Centre) and prestigious schools (Georgia Tech) and located 1 hour and 20 minutes away from Paris by high-speed train (TGV). It offers a favorable environment for international collaborations, being located near Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium.

The colleague will be recruited in the frame of a newly-opened Junior Professorship Chair in Digital Communication, Gamification and Public Health.

The Junior Professor contract is for a period of 5 years, after which it can be transformed into a full professor tenure position.

The junior professor’s missions will be primarily oriented towards research (only 64 hours of teaching per year).

In order to encourage the development of this research area, the recruitment will be carried out with the support of a doctoral student whose work will develop game design and gamification methods applied to the health sector. Financial support will also be provided for the acquisition of equipment for the implementation of research & development experiments.

The missions will be in line with these different axes:

Scientific production:

• Organization of an international conference on the theme of the Chair.
• Publication of articles in peer-reviewed academic journals:
• • in the field of game studies (e.g. Game & culture, Gamestudies.org, Game Science);
  • (e.g. European Journal of Health Communication, Health Communication, Social science and medicine);
  • Information and communication sciences (e.g. Communication Research, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, New Media & Society).

NB: CREM runs the internationally renowned journal Questions de communication (on OpenEdition Journals) and the Publictionnaire. Encyclopaedic and critical dictionary of publics (hosted by TGIR Huma-Num) which welcome contributions on the theme.

• Participation in the professional and academic network Games for health Europe.
• International papers at the annual conferences of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), the International Communication Association (ICA) or the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR).
• Within the 5th year of the opening of the position, the colleague will have to defend a

Habilitation to direct research (which is a French degree required to be a PHD supervisor).

Science and society:

• Seminars for the general public will be organized every six months to report on the progress of the Chair's work. These seminars will be an opportunity to invite private and public actors on a national and international level in connection with gamification of activities in the domain of health.
• Organization of a conference on games and health for a variety of actors from the professional and institutional world in the domain of health.
• Implementation of a monthly streaming channel (Twitch) on the Chair's themes and subsequent broadcasting in the form of podcasts with the creation of a dedicated broadcasting channel (YouTube or other).

Dissemination of research:

• Development of an operational digital game at the end of the mission, in partnership with academic and institutional actors and health professionals.
• Application to the European Research Council (ERC) for an individual Starting Grant.
• Submission of an international research program such as Interreg (European interregional program) or ANR “Collaborative research project – international” (PRCI), in order to develop international partnerships on the Chair's themes.
• Participation in the EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation “Europe Horizon”, in particular the axis Games and culture shaping our society within the theme Innovative Research on the European Cultural Heritage and the Cultural and Creative Industries.
• Corpus of videos and articles, linked to the activities of the streaming channel dedicated to the Chair.

Nature and purpose of the proposed teaching project:

The colleague will address the issue of the relationship between gamification, games, digital devices and health. He/she will follow students’ professional projects, contributing to the development of regional, national and international partnerships with the socio-economic sector, and to the attractiveness of the department’s diplomas (BA, MA). He/she will be involved in the tutoring of theses on the Chair's themes. In addition, he/she will contribute to curricula such as the University Diploma (DU) in telemedicine, health training (the faculties of medicine and pharmacy have confirmed their interest), computer science or psychology. He/she will also strengthen the researcheducation relation by offering a “gamification of health and research” course to students in the domain of health, in order to encourage doctoral projects in this field.

Anticipated contract duration: 5 years

Minimum monthly salary: €3 443.50 (gross)

Teaching profile:

The researcher will primarily teach game design courses within the Master’s “Audiovisual and Digital Interactive Media” program in Metz. This MA’s objective is to provide students with skills in the field of games and their applications. Courses will also be taught in the “Information-communication” Bachelor’s curriculum. They will focus on theoretical and applied learning related to game design, video games, gamification, interactive narration, etc., applying them to the health sector. An investment in the tutoring of master's theses and tutored projects is also expected.

Keywords: information and communication sciences / game studies / health

Department/University: UFR SHS - Metz

Teaching department: Information - Communication Department

Place(s) of work: Metz

Teaching team:

Name of Department Director: Sébastien Genvo

Tel. Department Director: +33 6 89 68 07 34

Email Department Director: sebastien.genvo@univ-lorraine.fr

URL dept:

Research profile:

The person recruited will have research experience on the relationship between games and health. He/she will join CREM’s Pixel team “Digital devices and uses, game studies, traces and data”. He/she will participate in R&D and action-research projects, e.g. with Mercy Hospital-CHR Metz-Thionville; CHRU-Nancy, with the Pierre Janet Centre for innovative post-trauma treatments, or the research centre APEMAC, specializing in public health. He/she will collaborate with other CREM teams, e.g. Praxis specializing in “Institutional communication, health/environment, sciences in society”. In addition, he/she will develop collaborations with researchers from French and foreign research units (including within the program “Science and Society”, coordinated by Université de Lorraine).

In order to encourage recruitment, the position will be open to non-French speakers. They will have to commit to acquiring a level of French C1 within 5 years.

Keywords: Mediation / game design / health, environment, science and society / action-research / research - creation / gamification

Laboratory name: Centre for Research on Mediations (CREM)

Laboratory unit number: UR 3476

Place(s) of work: Metz

Name Lab Director: Angeliki Monnier

Tel Lab Director:

Email Lab Director: angeliki.monnier@univ-lorraine.fr

Lab URL: http://crem.univ-lorraine.fr/

Laboratory description: A research unit of Université de Lorraine, CREM has more than 200 members: approximately 80 full professors and associate professors, more than 90 doctoral students, more than 20 associate researchers, and 7 administrative officers. CREM is a member of the scientific pole “Knowledge, Language, Communication, Society” (CLCS) of Université de Lorraine, and a member of the “Humanités Nouvelles-Fernand Braudel” doctoral school, as well as a partner of the “Maison des sciences de l'homme Lorraine”. Its researchers belong to 11 disciplines: nearly 90% to information and communication sciences, language sciences, French language and literature studies and art sciences; approximately 10% to English and Anglo-Saxon, Arabic, Germanic and Romance languages and literature studies, anthropology, psychology and sociology.

Unit’s project description:

CREM researchers study the processes and forms of mediation that interpret and give meaning to social, cultural, artistic and technological mutations. CREM is structured into six teams with specific scientific orientations and themes:

• “Passages” (culture, heritage, memory)
• “Pixel” (digital devices and uses, game studies, traces and data)
• “Praximedia” (journalism, public space, representations)
• “Praxis” (institutional communication, health, science/society)
• “Praxitele” (aesthetics, plastic arts, cinema and audiovisual)
• “Praxitext” (language, text and discourse)

Additional information:

Requirements for applicants:

- Hold a doctorate or an equivalent degree (upon recognition by UL Scientific Committee).

In addition, it is recommended:

- To have completed at least 3 years of scientific activity after the PhD thesis.

- For holders of a doctorate in France, to have a significant experience of mobility abroad (at least two years).

The list of supporting documents to be attached to the application file will be sent shortly by the Ministry. You can find it on the University of Lorraine website.

Applications must be submitted on the Galaxie platform (FIDIS module) according to the calendar available on the Université de Lorraine website.

Only those candidates who have been selected by the recruitment committee on the basis of their applications will be invited to the audition.

*When searching for positions, Junior Professorships will be distinguished from others by the recruitment article (JPC).

How auditions are organized:

Professional situation:

yes X no

“The audition may include [...] one or more on-site or remote works, in particular in the form of one or more lessons on a free or imposed theme, a seminar for the presentation of research work or a meeting with students or teachers-researchers, researchers or similar staff of the research or teaching unit in which the position is open.

This work may be public under the conditions laid down in the recruitment notice.

During these simulation phases, the selection committee acts as an observer and only intervenes to ensure that the simulation runs smoothly.” art.10 of decree n° 2021-1710 of 17 December 2021

If yes:

public non-public

In the form of:

of lesson(s)

research presentation seminar

meetings (with students or teachers/researchers/researchers of the research or teaching unit in which the post is open)

Other information:

The position for which you are applying is likely to be located in a “restricted area” within the meaning of article R 413-5-1 of the penal code. If this is the case, your appointment and/or assignment can only take place after authorization of access issued by the head of the establishment, in accordance with the provisions of article 20-4 of decree n°84-431 of 6 June 1984.