Every year, the musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac offers doctoral grants and post-doctoral contracts to help develop original and innovative research projects.

The disciplines concerned are: anthropology, archaeology, ethnomusicology, history, art history and sociology. Key areas of research include the arts, technology, non-European cultures and tangible and intangible heritage, and museums and their collections.

The Research and Teaching Department's research priorities are as follows and downloaded here:

Applicants must specify how their project will fit into the environment of the musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac (collections, archives, media library, scientific community).

Applicants must be academically proficient, both orally and in writing, in French and English. There is no nationality requirement.

Doctoral grants

Four doctoral scholarships are intended to support doctoral students enrolled in at least their third year for the 2025-2026 academic year, at a French or foreign university. These grants are intended to help students write their final thesis and are not intended to fund fieldwork or archival research. Particular consideration will be given to projects that fall within one of the Research and Teaching Department's priority research areas.

Doctoral grants are awarded for a non-renewable period of 12 months, from 1 September to 31 August. In 2025, they will amount to 1400 euros net per month. They are awarded after assessment of the applications by the musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac Selection Committee.

Post-doctoral contracts

This year, the musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac is offering three post-doctoral contracts to young PhDs to develop their work. It is recommended that the research projects fall within one of the Research and Teaching Department's priority research areas. Successful applicants are expected to participate in the museum's activities, and to make an effective contribution to the collective work around the research priorities.

Successful candidates will be eligible for a funded field trip of up to 30 days (for research outside mainland France).

These postdoctoral contracts are awarded for a non-renewable period of 24 months, from 1 September to 31 August; in 2025 they will be worth €2,547 gross per month (€30,564 per annum) in the form of a full-time fixed-term contract.

They will be awarded after assessment of the applications and interviews with the candidates selected by the musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac selection committee.

Candidates may apply for this contract up to three years after their thesis has been defended (in accordance with article L412-4 of the Research Code establishing a new system for post-doctoral contracts), i.e. for theses defended after 1 September 2022. The thesis must be defended before the post is taken up.

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Successful candidates (doctoral and post-doctoral students) will be hosted by the Research and Teaching Department. Their presence on the museum site is required (there are no part-time arrangements).

During the course of the year, the doctoral and post-doctoral students selected will present the progress of their work at the Research and Teaching Department's internal seminar, in the form of a thesis chapter for doctoral students and an article intended for publication for post-doctoral students. Participation in this seminar is compulsory.