Social scientists cry foul over CNRS candidate’s third rejection

More than 200 researchers have called on the CNRS to reverse its decision to reject the sociologist Akim Oualhaci for a permanent position, despite his having been approved for one by his peers three times.

In a letter published in the newspaper Le Monde on 18 June, the researchers say that the CNRS, France’s largest public research organisation, “has buried its reputation for openness for a very long time” by rejecting Oualhaci, a postdoc researcher at the Cresppa-CSU research centre in Paris.

The decision, announced on 6 June, marks the third consecutive year in which Oualhaci’s candidacy for a permanent position was approved by the eligibility jury, composed of fellow social scientists, but rejected by the admissions jury, made up of researchers from other disciplines and headed by a senior CNRS representative.