[EDUC Research] Nine winners for EDUC collaborative research projects 2026

General presentation

The Université Paris Nanterre has awarded nine EDUC-Wide collaborative research projects grants, which will enable our institution to strengthen international research cooperation.

EDUC-Wide is a satellite entity of EDUC, dedicated to the development of international collaborations within the European Alliance, of which the University of Paris Nanterre is a founding member.

In October 2025, Université Paris Nanterre launched a call for proposals to encourage international cooperation with foreign laboratories and the involvement of doctoral students and young PhDs from the EDUC network.

Aimed at federating research communities involving the alliance's foreign universities, these projects enable the development of partnerships on a European scale around scientific and technological projects, and generate preliminary results on common research and innovation topics.

 

Presentation of the projects

 

Project 1: From architectural engineering to additive manufacturing via response: the thermomechanical behavior of functional gradient metamaterials - FRAME (Functionally Responsive Additive Metamaterials)

This project aims to rapidly design, based on experiments, and characterize in a coupled manner the thermomechanical properties of functionally graded metamaterials (FGAM) produced by additive manufacturing. The two main intended uses are heat shields/thermal barrier components such as cryogenic interfaces for liquid hydrogen tanks (~‒253 °C), and applications in the thermal management of power electronics and porous “perspiration” cooling coatings. 
The consortium brings together the LEME laboratory at Paris Nanterre University (lead partner), whose expertise covers energy, mechanics, and electromagnetism, where polymer composite FGAMs will be designed and manufactured, with the University of Southeast Norway (USN) in order to anchor the emerging theme of “Functional gradient metamaterials manufactured by additive manufacturing” at LEME.

The project has four clear objectives:
- Architecture-property design: to create graded architectures (cellular topology/porosity/wall thickness/multi-materials) that jointly adapt the effective thermal conductivity, thermal expansion coefficient (CTE), stiffness/strength, and and damage tolerance in order to mitigate thermal shocks and residual stress accumulation;
- AM and quality control: manufacture of representative classified samples and quantification of gradients/defects by density/tomography and microscopy;
- Coupled thermomechanical characterization: measurement of conductivity/diffusivity, CTE, and strength/stiffness under cryogenic and high-temperature conditions, and development of “architecture-properties” maps with preliminary design criteria for heat shields and LH₂ interfaces; 
- Open data and methods: publish a compact open dataset and a concise test protocol to reduce the risks associated with future scaling.

A collaborator from LEM3 (Metz; CNRS-University of Lorraine-Arts et Métiers) will provide samples of metal/polymer metamaterials that will serve as a reference for the comparative evaluation of polymer composite metamaterials manufactured at LEME, thereby reinforcing the cross-validation of architectures and measurement protocols.

Project leaders:
- Isabelle Bruant (ibruant@parisnanterre.fr), LEME, IUT Ville d'Avray, Paris Nanterre University, France
- Amir Safari (amir.safari@usn.no), Department of Science and Industry System (IRI) Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge (USN), Kongsberg, Norway
- Isabelle Ranc (isabelle.ranc@parisnanterre.fr), LEME, UFR SITEC, Université Paris Nanterre, France

Project 2: Aggregation on graphs with subsampling - BAGS (BAgging on Graphs with subsampling)

This project aims to study a new methodology for improving the statistical analysis of large networks. We want to study an approach known as “subsampling and aggregation” (bagging) applied to graph data with potential applications. The central hypothesis is that by generating several subsampled versions of a large graph, calculating statistics on each of them, and then aggregating the results, we can obtain significantly faster convergence rates for estimators than by using only the single complete graph.

In a previous article by Bertail et al. (2018)(2023) entitled “Scaling by subsampling for big data,” it was shown that this “Divide and Conquer” methodology is effective for standard statistical learning methods and can lead to improved convergence rates. This can also be generalized to stationary or cyclostationary time series. Generalization to graphs is difficult due to the dependency structure they imply. In a recent paper, Jain et al. (2025), Subsampling Graphs with GNN Performance Guarantees, showed that there is no loss for certain graph-based procedures. 

Project leaders:
- Bertail, P., Université Paris Nanterre , pbertail@parisnanterre.fr
- Djenouri, Y., University of South-Eastern Norway and NORCE, youcef.djenouri@usn.no
- Zetlaoui, M., Université paris Nanterre

Project 3: Burnout between work and family: personality traits and personal and contextual resources in the dual role of parent-worker. A comparative study between France and Italy

In recent years, both in France and Italy, scientific and social interest in mental health has grown, with an increasing focus on occupational burnout—the prevalence of which continues to rise—and, more recently, on parental burnout. Based on these findings, the project developed in collaboration with the University of Cagliari lies at the intersection of occupational psychology and regional sociology, and aims to examine the interaction between individual factors and institutional frameworks in determining the well-being of people who are simultaneously involved in professional and parental roles.

In particular, the project aims to examine how personality traits (Big Five) and perfectionism act as antecedents of multiple burnout, in its professional and parental dimensions, taking into account individual mediators and moderators—self-esteem, self-efficacy, guilt, self-compassion—as well as contextual factors, such as kindness associated with leadership. The main objective is to understand how these personal and contextual resources can protect or, conversely, amplify the impact of dispositional traits on well-being in contexts marked by multiple roles. The study will also explore the phenomena of bidirectional spillover between professional and parental burnout, analyzing the transfer of stress from one role to the other.

The comparative approach between France and Italy will allow for the integration of psychological and sociological perspectives while highlighting the differences between social protection systems and work-family balance and parenting support policies. Methodologically, the project adopts a mixed approach, combining qualitative interviews and quantitative questionnaires with working parents.

Project leaders:
- Marianna Giunchi, Assistant Professor in Work and Organizational Psychology, Paris Nanterre University, mgiunchi@parisnanterre.fr
- Barbara Barbieri, University Professor, University of Cagliari, barbara.barbieri@unica.it
- Silvia De Simone, Assistant Professor, University of Cagliari, desimone@unica.it

Project 4: Writings on psychological illness in Italy: literary, psychological, and social perspectives

This project focuses on contemporary forms of writing about mental illness and psychological distress in Italy. It aims to combine literary, psychological, and social approaches in order to propose an initial interdisciplinary research framework. Its objectives are to examine representations of psychological illness in contemporary Italian literature, autobiographical accounts, and other forms of writing (media, blogs, testimonials); to bring these analyses into dialogue with approaches from the psychological sciences; to create a Franco-Italian network focused on the study of writings on mental illness; lay the foundations for a more extensive research project within the EDUC alliance (open to other partners).

Project leaders:
- Giuliana Pias (Assistant Professor of Italian), Paris Nanterre University, gpias@parisnanterre.fr
- Alessandro Benucci (Assistant Professor of Italian), Paris Nanterre University, abenucci@parisnanterre.fr
- Cristina Cabras (Associate Professor of Social Psychology), University of Cagliari, ccabras@unica.it
- Mirian Agus (Associate Professor of Psychometrics and Neuroscience), University of Cagliari, mirian.agus@unica.it

Project 5: P2P_From Stone to Pixel: Documentary Innovation and Knowledge Circulation in Prehistoric Lithic Technology

This project aims to establish innovative cooperation between the TEMPS joint research unit (Paris Nanterre University) and the Department of Archaeology and Museology (DAM) at Masaryk University in Brno by combining two complementary areas of expertise: on the one hand, the lithic experimentation reference framework, unique in Europe, developed by UMR TEMPS (https://teknotek.pretech.cnrs.fr/s/fr/page/accueil#) and, on the other hand, the DAM's cutting-edge expertise in advanced digital documentation (https://archeo-muzeo.phil.muni.cz/en/research/research-infrastructure/the-laboratory-of-advanced-documentation).

This project will target three complementary audiences (researchers; students and young researchers; the general public) through four main scientific objectives:
- The creation of a digital database to promote the dissemination of knowledge related to experimental repositories. Through 3D digitization and the application of Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) to the most emblematic collections, this platform will be accessible to the entire scientific community.
- The creation of a traveling kit of 3D replicas of lithic artifacts that are essential to current research but difficult to physically move (e.g., fragile, rare, or subject to customs restrictions). These printed replicas will be freely available for researchers and students to borrow during their missions, facilitating access to standardized reference material shared across Europe.
- Training young researchers (master's students, doctoral students, post-docs) in recent analysis methods and best practices for documenting prehistoric stone industries. The development of this collaborative workshop between Paris Nanterre University and Masaryk University in Brno will contribute to the development of common methodological tools and the harmonization of our approaches to the study of lithic production in Central and Western Europe.
- The creation of educational kits will aim to design teaching kits (3D printed models, explanatory sheets, procedural videos) intended for the general public, schools, and museums, in order to widely disseminate knowledge about the technical skills of prehistoric humans.

Project leaders:
- Mgr. Vojtěch Nosek, Ph.D., Department of Archaeology and Museology, Faculty of Arts, Université Masaryk, 330862@mail.muni.cz, +420 549 49 5337
- Mgr. Peter Tóth, PhD., Department of Archaeology and Museology, Faculty of Arts, Université Masaryk, toth@phil.muni.cz, +420 549 49 8491
- Solène Denis, UMR TEMPS, CNRS, Paris Nanterre, solene.denis@cnrs.fr, +33 7 69 24 44 23; Pierre Allard, UMR TEMPS, CNRS, Paris Nanterre, pierre.allard@cnrs.fr, +33 6 07 18 85 80
- Pavel Tomek, étudiant Master, Department of Archaeology and Museology, Faculty of Arts, Université Masaryk, 527138@mail.muni.cz
- Lisa Bauer, doctorante, Université Paris Nanterre, lcbauer@posteo.de

Project 6: Ekphrasis and comparative studies in Spanish literature from the Golden Age to the present day

The project brings together specialists in poetry and theater from the Golden Age and the contemporary period from two universities in the EDUC alliance, Paris Nanterre and Jaume I, with extensive experience in the field of ekphrasis and the relationships between different artistic languages. Professor Vicente Nebot y Nebot's research stay in Nanterre from September to November 2025 gave rise to two working meetings on the future project and helped to bring the researchers' positions closer together. Throughout 2026, we hope to intensify our collaboration with two seminars (one online, the other in person in Nanterre) and a workshop open to UR teachers, researchers, and doctoral students, and to develop, within EDUC, fieldwork in order to carry out the archival research necessary for participation in a conference scheduled to take place in Paris in 2027, entitled “European Resonances of the Poetics of 1927,” as well as for the publication of Professor Nebot's book on Titian and Spanish poetry, also scheduled for 2027. These two achievements would be a continuation of the EDUC project presented in 2026. In addition to these meetings, we are planning three archival missions over the course of next year and hope to expand our project with other members of the EDUC alliance.

Project leaders:
- Zoraida Carandell, Université Paris Nanterre, directrice du CRIIA Etudes romanes zcarandell@parisnanterre.fr
- Vicente Nebot y Nebot, Université Jaume I, directeur du groupe Textos, documentos y lenguajes literarios

Project 7: RENFORCE Mothers: Human rights, mental and social health of mothers facing coercive control in the context of domestic violence

The RENFORCE Mothers project aims to create a collaborative research dynamic on the human rights and mental and social health of mothers facing coercive control in the context of domestic violence. It builds on a previous UPN-USN collaboration between the project leaders (Critical Methodologies 2025 Summer School) and the UPN RENFORCE project - Restoring and Strengthening the Mental and Social Health of Women Victims of Coercive Control, the RENFORCE Mothers project, from an interdisciplinary and international EDUC perspective, in line with the Istanbul Convention.

RENFORCE Mothers aims to explore specific forms of coercive control of women as mothers (Heward-Belle, 2017) in civil proceedings (family cases, juvenile courts: judicial harassment, Douglas, 2018; Gutowski & Goodman, 2022) as well as their impact on women's rights (Choudry, 2019), mental and social health (Dalgarno et al., 2024; Gruev-Vintila, 2023; WHO 2025), in France (partnership with the association Protéger l'enfant) and in Norway (prospective partner: Norsk Kvinnesaksforening, NKF, president Anne Hege Grung PR University of Oslo, human rights specialist).

Over 12 months, the project is structured around four areas of action:
- Consolidation of the France-Norway partnership and collection of exploratory data;
- Scientific co-construction (doctoral students, association partners, NKF);
- Promotion and response to calls (UN Special Rapporteur, Research Council of Norway);
- Scientific and societal dissemination (symposium, open access article, multilingual resources).

Project leaders:
- Andreea Gruev-Vintila, andreea@parisnanterre.fr, Associate Professor of Social Psychology, Paris-Nanterre University - Faculty of Social Sciences and Administration, Paris Laboratory of Social Psychology
- Åsne Håndlykken asne.handlykken-luz@usn.no, Associate Professor, Department of Culture, Religion, and Social Studies, Research Leader, Strategic Research Area Democracy, Societal Organization, and Governance, Program Director, Master's Program in Human Rights and Multiculturalism

Project 8: The “dual career” of elite athletes: between personal aspirations and support policies. A comparison between France and Norway

This initiative focuses on the dual career of elite athletes (EA) and professional athletes (PA), understood as the articulation between their sporting career and their training or professional integration pathway. While the issue of athletes' career transition has been the subject of numerous studies, little research has analyzed the support systems for the dual project from the athletes' own perspective.
Adopting a comparative perspective between France and Norway, this research aims to understand the extent to which two seemingly contrasting support systems—one French, more centralized and structured by public policy; the other Norwegian, based on flexibility and autonomy of the actors—meet the needs of athletes and influence the success of their dual career.

Project leaders:
- Nathalie Leroux, Professor of Sociology, UFR STAPS, IDHE.S, Paris Nanterre University, nleroux@parisnanterre.fr
- Elsa Kristiansen, Professor, USN School of Business, Sport Management and Governance Research Group, University of South-Eastern Norway, elsa.Kristiansen@usn.no

Project 9: The international right to self-determination in turmoil

Timidly enshrined in the United Nations Charter, the right to self-determination has had a remarkable history. It has driven the global decolonization movement, supported contemporary demands for the right of peoples to democracy, and climbed all the rungs of the normative ladder, until recently being enshrined by the International Court of Justice as one of the few “imperative” principles of international law. However, this great legal achievement is far from complete: in Palestine, Western Sahara, New Caledonia, and elsewhere, peoples are still deprived of the promises it holds. Beyond its primary political dimension, its economic, social, and cultural implications—which are nevertheless fundamental, for example, to achieving permanent sovereignty of peoples over their natural resources—remain neglected. The struggle for self-determination is not over; it is taking new paths, which the research project “International Self-Determination in Turmoil” intends to explore.

Project leaders:
- CEDIN (UPN) : Professeur Mathias Forteau (mforteau@parisnanterre.fr), Professeure Sophie Grosbon (sgrosbon@parisnanterre.fr), Professeur Pierre Bodeau-Livinec (pbodeaul@parisnanterre.fr)
- CEDRI (UJI) : Professeur Mariano Aznar Gόmez (maznar@uji.es), Professeur Alberto Arrufat Cárdava (aarrufat@uji.es)
- Université de Potsdam (to confirm) : Professeur Andreas Zimmermann (andreas.zimmermann@uni-potsdam.de)