Postdoctorat sur la modélisation physique des micromobilités et l'adaptation urbaine aux vagues de chaleur

Mots-clés : piétons et micromobilités; urbanisme; adaptation au changement climatique; modélisation; physique statistique

Lieu : Institut Lumière Matière (CNRS & Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne), près de Lyon, France.

Context. Active mobility, such as walking, cycling, and sometimes riding e-scooters, are sustainable modes of transportation [1], but are highly vulnerable to weather conditions, in particular the heat waves that are bound to get more frequent and more intense in the decades to come.

Hence the issue of how to best adapt urban infrastructure and arrange public space to make cities more resilient in the face of these changes. Various cooling solutions (e.g., planting more trees, installing water sprays, etc.) have been proposed [2], but their effect is rather local, spatially heterogeneous, and its impact on pedestrian and active navigation is still unknown.

Goals. The project aspires to gain insight into this major challenge by exploring them through the lens of fine-scale, physics-based modelling of mobility [3].

Missions. The postdoctoral researcher will build on the agent-based models of pedestrian dynamics recently developed in the host team [4] and extend them to integrate the impact of micro-climatic conditions. This modelling framework is based on a coupling between a decision-making layer and a mechanical layer and accounts for anticipation as well as the local walking/riding discomfort. Armed with this framework, the postdoc will seek to optimise street design and the layouts of cooling solutions , with the aim of putting forward best practices. Ultimately, a platform to simulate the impact of cooling solutions on crowd flows will be developed to release the full potential of the findings of this innovative approach.

Besides modelling, the project will also include the conduction of controlled experiments and the collection of field data in case studies, in France as well as abroad. Discussions with operational technical services will be encouraged.

Required competences:

* A PhD in Physics, Climate Sciences, Applied Maths, or Urban Planning

* Strong programming skills

* A keen interest in mitigating the impact of climate change and/or urban resilience

* The candidate must show a good level of autonomy in carrying out research and be intent on exploring new interfaces between fields

* Discussions and interactions with urban planners and stakeholders are to be expected; fluency in French would be an asset (but is not required)

Salary: from 2900 to 4150 Euros gross salary per month, depending on experience. Social security is included. The postdoc will also be given specific funding to purchase equipment, attend conferences, etc.

Duration of the contract: Up to 2 years. (Depending on experience, hence salary, the contract may be limited to 18 months).

Application process (no deadline -- until position is filled):

To apply, you should send a detailed CV including the contact details of 3 reference people (professors, supervisors, etc.) along with a cover letter to

alexandre.nicolas"at"cnrs.fr

Please specify "[PostDoc AcMod]" in the subject of the email. Informal enquiries are welcome!

References

[1] Guide du Cerema CEREMA “Promouvoir les modes actifs dans les plans de déplacements urbains", 2016

[2] ADEME, Le kit technique de solutions de rafraîchissement urbain, 2025, https://librairie.ademe.fr/index.php?controller=attachment&id_attachment=3502&preview

[3] Cordes, J., Schadschneider, A., & Nicolas, A. (2024). Dimensionless numbers reveal distinct regimes in the structure and dynamics of pedestrian crowds. PNAS nexus, 3(4), pgae120, https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/

[4] Echeverría-Huarte, I. and Nicolas, A. “Body and mind: Decoding the dynamics of pedestrians and the effect of smartphone distraction by coupling mechanical and decisional processes,” Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, vol. 157, p. 104365, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2023.104365