CNRS positions 2014: first results

The 2014 campaign for permanent research positions at the CNRS started in December. It involves a first stage, the pre-selection, introduced in 2012. The results are now in for the competitions in some sections (see my older post for the role of the CNRS sections and for the various types of open positions.) They are online here; enter the appropriate competition number and choose the option "Candidates to be interviewed" from the drop-down menu.

The selectivity of this first step has increased since 2012; in the sections corresponding to physical sciences (1-5 and 8-11), about half of all applications (at the CR2 level) were successful, with the exception of section 2, where this number is below 0.3 (there were 185 candidates!) and of section 1, where the pre-selection rate is closer to 3/4, probably because all positions are targeted, so the selection process is pretty much separate (although there is strong overlap between 01/03 and 01/04 and between 01/06 and 01/09).

It seems that each commission selected 40-50 candidates (again, with the exception of section 1, where there are 88 of them and of section 8, with 68). This amounts to 11 applications per open position overall (but to less individual candidates, due to multiple applications between sections.)

The interview dates for each section are available here. Good luck everybody!

CNRS positions: tips for foreign candidates

[Post first published on 14/01/2013; updated with a few comments on the 2013 campaign]

The CNRS, or Centre national de la recherche scientifique, is the largest French research organization, employing more than 10000 permanent researchers. It opens about 300 tenured junior positions (CR - short for chargé de recherche) every year, with no nationality restrictions. Knowledge of French is not required and the entire recruitment process can take place in English. As a result, foreigners represent an increasing fraction of the number of applicants and of successful candidates. There is a lot of information about the competition (mostly on the CNRS web site), but navigating it can be challenging. More critically, there is some unwritten "common knowledge", which is however less common outside the French research system. I will blend both of them, with no claim to completeness.

I did my PhD in France and have been employed by the CNRS since 2005. All statements below are entirely my own and do not represent the official position of the CNRS. I am mostly familiar with the physics community, and some of the following advice might be less relevant in very different domains (e.g. social sciences), but I believe all candidates will find some useful information.