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INFORMATION

General aim

The Jean-Morlet Chair gives international researchers in the field of mathematical sciences or theoretical physics the opportunity to establish an ambitious programme of events while in residence for six months at the Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques (CIRM) in Marseille-Luminy, France. 

The Chair was created in 2013 in order to showcase the ambitious research carried out in the fields of mathematics, theoretical physics, computer sciences and other related sciences in Marseille. This flagship programme advertises existing or current developments in a particular area and can of course support new evolutions. It is CIRM’s most international programme.

Calls for applications are published each year (subject to funding) with the aim to select candidates who will take up their position 18 to 24 months after selection. If more than one excellent candidate is found at any one time, CIRM reserves the right to fill up several semesters and to open one call only that year. If a call is reserved to one semester in particular, this information is announced in the call for applications.

CIRM manages the general organisation of the Chair and acts as the conduit of information between the various entities involved in the project: CIRM (CNRS, SMF, AMU), Aix-Marseille Université (AMU), Ville de Marseille and other funding partners.

History

The name of this Chair was chosen to honour the memory of Jean Morlet (1931–2007), a French geophysicist who pioneered work in the field of wavelet analysis and spent a fair amount of his research time working with fellow scientists in Luminy, close to the Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques (CIRM).

CIRM is based at the Luminy university campus in Marseille. For 40 years it has been dedicated to supporting mathematical sciences by providing a comfortable residential centre, where local, national and international events are held. Over 4000 worldwide researchers gather each year at the centre. Jointly administered by AMU (Aix-Marseille Université), CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) and by the SMF (Société Mathématique de France), CIRM is a member of networks such as the national Labex CARMIN, where is it joined by centres such as CIMPA (Centre International de Mathématiques Pures et Appliquées), IHES (Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques), and IHP (Institut Henri Poincaré). It also works with regional academic departments affiliated to CNRS and/or AMU and with the FRUMAM (Local research federation of departments in mathematics). CIRM also takes a very dynamic role in ERCOM (European Research Centres on Mathematics), a European consortium in which it held the Vice-Presidency for several years.

Main Assets: 3 Things to remember 

An exciting scientific programme: original and ambitious, the ‘scientific’ programme of events is supported by a ‘people’ programme of invitations (bringing international researchers to the region). Proposals should be linked to the local research in mathematical sciences while adding a strong international dimension.
A visiting researcher as Chair: coming from a foreign institution, this researcher is selected to be employed by Aix-Marseille Université. Note that this means that there are age restrictions for the position (please check this link) and a decision is made by the University on the salary level. This researcher is however based at CIRM and put under the responsibility of its Director. The Chair is the key organizer of the events in the scientific programme and decides on how funding is to be awarded.
A locally-based project leader: usually employed by AMU – or by universities within the perimeter of the FRUMAM (Regional Research Federation of Mathematics laboratories)- this fellow researcher co-plans and co-organizes all events with the Chair. S/he looks for synergies with local academic departments and researchers, as well as with educational bodies, and arranges applications for financial support from local, regional and national sponsors. S/he participates in the decision to award funding.

Selection Criteria

The proposed programme of events should be innovative and ambitious in order to attract participants from many different institutions in the world. It should mix scientists of every age, background, gender and status.
The proposal should be structuring for the local and regional mathematical sciences departments. The commitment of the local project leader should be apparent.
The external candidate for the Chair should be an innovative researcher, internationally recognized as a world leader in his/her field with a superior record of attracting and supervising graduate students, or a promising researcher who has already shown exceptional potential to lead research in his/her field and has already created a synergy with local mathematicians.

Selection process

Proposals undergo a multi-level peer review process that includes evaluation by CIRM’s international Scientific Committee, strategic review by an extended selection board, proposal by CIRM’s Administrative Council and final approval by Aix-Marseille University.

Semesters are awarded through a competitive, four-stage process:

Stage 1: Online proposals are filled in and examined by CIRM’s review panel. This panel includes members of the Scientific Committee as well as the directors of the following academic departments: the Centre de Physique Théorique (CPT), the Institut de Mathématiques de Marseille (I2M), the Laboratoire d’Informatique et Systèmes (LIS UMR7020) and the Fédération de Recherche des Unités de Mathématiques de Marseille (FRUMAM). Note that, from 2020, written applications will also be completed by a joint oral pre-recorded presentation of the project by both applicants. 
Stage 2: A formal oral interview and discussion takes place in English during a meeting of CIRM’s Scientific Committee (usually in May and in November each year if two calls are open). Both candidates should participate. This can be done in person or via video-conferencing. No travel expenses is however refunded. The selection committee asks questions then casts a formal vote at the end of their meeting in order to rank the projects. Note that, if several good projects are presented, the Committee reserves the right to select more than one proposal and fill up more than one semester (dates are of course discussed with applicants). The decision is then presented to CIRM’s Administrative Council, usually during the same week.
Stage 3: Official decision from CIRM – the Administrative Council at CIRM officially proposes the name(s) of the chosen recipient(s) to Aix-Marseille University. 
Stage 4: Final decision from AMU – CIRM’s recommendation is examined in a formal meeting during which AMU grants final approval for the recruitment of the nominee(s) and decides on the level of salary. Once written notifications both of the position and of the salary are received by CIRM, candidates are sent an official letter by CIRM and are contacted in order to secure the position and start the necessary preparations both for their scientific programme and for their recruitment.

Proposal Content

In addition to general information regarding the tentative Chair and Local project leader (extended CVs / resumes and lists of publications), the proposal should focus on two main sections, a scientific programme (Events) and a programme of invitations (People).

A scientific programme (Events) 
It must be built around the usual framework of activities taking place at CIRM (Conferences, Research Schools, Workshops and Research in Pairs). It is understood that all ‘compulsory’ events within the framework of the Chair shall be based at CIRM, as the idea is to make full use of the excellent residential facilities there (*).
(*) As the Visiting researcher will hold the position for a whole semester, s/he may want to take part in other events organized outside the framework of the Chair, either in association with mathematical sciences units (FRUMAM, I2M locally or with other academic departments) or totally independently. Although actively encouraging this type of collaborations, note that CIRM cannot unfortunately subsidize these extra activities within the Jean-Morlet offer. Other funds will have to be found.

The programme should include:

One ‘Main Conference’ lasting 5 days and gathering 60 to 90 onsite participants. CIRM grants a budget supporting up to 40 onsite participants for residential costs (accommodation and meals, but not travel). This level is granted as long as at least 60 onsite participants take part. For all participants not covered by this 40-subsidy, charges are applied by CIRM and must be met by external or personal funds. Funding should of course be arranged with the local project leader and applications are expected to be made for university / departmental financial support and / or other types of funding, including Labexes, European or other foreign grants (please specify in your application). For information, the average cost of one person’s full board and stay at CIRM in 2022 is €550 per week; for local participants – who do not sleep at CIRM – each meal costs around €18 except the Thursday conference gala dinner which costs more.
Hybrid events combining onsite and remote participation are of course possible – and encouraged – to extend the participation of researchers while reducing carbon footprint. A special rate table is in place for this type of event (see here).
In case of global pandemic, as happened in 2020, and the necessity to turn to fully Virtual events, note that CIRM is equipped with a virtual ecosystem that enables teams of organizers to plan and deliver their events remotely very successfully. 
It is therefore expected that all large events planned (conference, research school, workshops) make provision for a hybrid or virtual delivery and that applicants refer to this clearly from the onset in their application.
Click here to see what information you will need to supply re. the Main Conference on the online application form

One ‘Research School’ lasting 5 days and focusing mainly on young researchers who should make up for more than 50% of all participants. It can gather 60 to 90 onsite participants.
All other details follow the same procedure as the Main Conference above.
​Click here to see what information you will need to supply re. the Research School on the online application form

At least one ‘Workshop’ (a second one is optional) lasting 4-5 days, for 20 to 40 participants. Note that workshops are not subsidized by CIRM, therefore external funding must be sought and be arranged in agreement with the local project leader. A total of two workshops of that kind may be arranged. One workshop can also take the shape of a Master class or of PhD support weekly seminars.
For information, the average cost of one person’s full board and stay at CIRM in 2022 is €550 per week; for local participants – who do not sleep at CIRM – each meal costs around €18 except the Thursday conference gala dinner which costs more. 
Hybrid events combining onsite and remote participation are of course possible – and encouraged – to extend the participation of researchers while reducing carbon footprint. A special rate table is in place for this type of event (see here).
In case of global pandemic, as happened in 2020, and the necessity to turn to fully Virtual events, note that CIRM is equipped with a virtual ecosystem that enables teams of organizers to plan and deliver their events remotely very successfully. 
It is therefore expected that all large events planned (conference, research school, workshops) make provision for a hybrid or virtual delivery and that applicants refer to this clearly from the onset in their application.
Click here to see what information you will need to supply re. the Workshop(s) on the online application formIMPORTANT: the above compulsory events must be defined clearly at the application stage and should remain the same in terms of themes and projected participation if the project is selected. The two project holders will need to set up their own scientific committees for these events. As in all committees and list of participants, there should be a mix of genders, age, experience, nationalities etc. The committee chosen for each event should be made up of experts who can vouch for the quality of the proposed programme. The composition of each scientific and organizing committee shall be communicated to CIRM from the start.
At least one ‘Research-in-Pairs’ event (NB: two are encouraged and are fully subsidized) lasting 1 or 2 weeks and gathering a maximum of 4 researchers altogether (each group should automatically include either the chair and/or the local project leader as participant(s)). The idea is to work on a p
roject (article, paper, book etc.) or on a new collaboration. These Research in pairs are financially subsidized by CIRM in terms of residential costs (board and lodging) for non-local participants. Travel funding may be awarded from The Programme of invitations (see the next section).
Additional Research in Pairs events are possible, using funding coming either from the Programme of invitations or from other sponsors.
Click here to see what information you will need to supply re. the Research in Pairs event(s) on the online application form
A programme of invitations (People)

Alongside the substantial residential subsidy offered by CIRM for the conference, research school and research in pairs (see above), additional funding amounting to €20,000 per semester is also granted to the holders of the semester (this is subject to funds being made available in each yearly budget). This funding should be used primarily to support the invitation of international researchers (professors, researchers, post-doctoral researchers, doctoral students etc.) who would really add to or benefit from the proposed programme of activities and could use contacts with the local Marseille sciences community. The sponsors of this programme of invitations include CIRM, the Labex Carmin and the Ville de Marseille (note that other sponsors can also be added).

All recipients shall be chosen by the Jean-Morlet Chair team and may benefit from a ‘Full’ invitation for the whole duration of their visit (covering accommodation at or outside CIRM, meals at or outside CIRM and travel costs between home and Marseille). The invitations, which can be of varied length, may be repeated or may last for several weeks. Accommodation may be at CIRM or outside (up to €125 per day may be refunded to guests to cover costs outside CIRM – on presentation of all relevant documents).

A list of tentative recipients should be communicated at the online application stage but will of course need updating during the 18 preparatory months. Reservations for CIRM accommodation shall need to be put in place very early on, well before the start of the semester, to ensure that space is kept available. The Accommodation Officer and Event Coordinator will need to be contacted and will give information on the number of rooms that can be attributed to each event, taking into consideration that other non-related events may be running alongside yours.
Click here to see what information you will need to supply re. the Programme of Invitations on the online application form

NB: The budget available for the programme of invitations is usually €20,000 per semester. Note, however, that the evaluations of past semesters and the decisions made re. external budgets (such as local authorities budgets) determine the funding outcome of future semesters. Additional external funds may be added to this budget if a sponsor is able to allocate direct funding to Cirm and allows for travel and stipend refunds.

Financial Support

Salary: supported by Aix-Marseille Université (AMU) and subject to funds being made available in each yearly budget voted by AMU. The Chair holder shall be employed for one semester by AMU as a Visiting Professor and shall be put under the responsibility of the Director of CIRM. Exact dates for the stay will have to be decided beforehand with CIRM and will be communicated early to the Human Resources Department at AMU. A monthly salary will be paid directly by AMU to the recipient in a French bank account. The salary increment will vary according to the career stage. Note that all decision re. salary level lies with AMU.

Note that, as an employee of AMU, selected beneficiaries shall have to pay income tax and social security contributions, i.e social security, unemployment insurance and supplementary pension scheme calculated as a certain percentage of their earnings. AMU shall deduct these contributions from the salary each month and pay them to the competent authority in charge of collecting them. If a person decides to pay tax in his/her home country instead, it is his/her responsibility to find out about tax agreements and to approach the University’s Human Resources Department with the necessary papers to lift the normal deduction. More information can be found about current Social security rights in France on http://ec.europa.eu.

It should also be noted that, according to French law regulations for recruitment in the public service, an age limit applies. You can find more information on this by clicking here.

Local project leaders are entitled to apply for a ‘délégation du CNRS‘ in order to free some time during the semester to work with the Chair. They should talk to the director of their department to enquire about this.

To facilitate all administrative issues, and due to the international character of this programme, the International Coordinator at CIRM also takes the role of overall Jean-Morlet Chair Coordinator. She acts as the conduit of information between AMU and the Chair and project leader, obtains and forwards all documents to be completed in order for recruitment to take place, and overlooks all aspects of the programme, including its website, with help from other staff members.

Residential support: subsidized by CIRM and other funds
As one of the leading residential centres for mathematical meetings in the world, CIRM agrees to provide:

work residence for the Jean-Morlet Chair during his/her 6-month stay ; access to the library at all times ; access to conference and seminar rooms when events are to take place ; access to offices. All this is to be arranged in agreement with the Event and Accommodation teams at CIRM.
optional rentable personal accommodation onsite for the Chair. The Jean-Morlet House for researchers is normally available for rent at a cost of around €850 per calendar month (rates in 2022). It can accommodate the researcher and his/her family (max 3 people in total / 4 if there is a baby). Jean-Morlet Chair researchers have priority over the use of this house (they may also choose to request the house in order to house their long-term guests. Note that the cost per weekly stay is around 650€ for guests of the Chair when they come outside a Research in Pairs event. If two Jean-Morlet Chair semesters overlap at CIRM for a while and both chairs wish to make use of the house, note that the first-arrived usually has priority over the use of the house.
substantial financial support in terms of accommodation and meals for the various scientific events planned (see details of the support under each activity). The Event and Accommodation teams will fix the dates together to ensure that lecture rooms, residential bedrooms and restaurant facilities are available for the scientific events that shall take place onsite.
Programme of Invitations: supported by CIRM and /or external partners
The list of possible guests should be discussed with the Jean-Morlet Coordinator and the Budget and Accommodation offices at CIRM  before invitations are formally sent. This is in order to ensure the availability of funds for travel and to make sure that accommodation space is indeed available at CIRM.

Supplementary Information

Each semester follows a general frame of events, with a dedicated website organized by the Jean-Morlet Coordinator and the holders, but it is true to say that all semesters are slightly different! Flexibility, support, quality are our main concern so that each semester is a success for all and above all for the holders who spend 18 months to 2 years planning it.

You can find further information about past, current and future recipients of the Jean-Morlet Chair, including detailed information on all scientific activities on this website. Further general information about the Chair can also be obtained by contacting CIRM’s International Coordinator.