[Eeglablist] PhD Call for Applications =?utf-8?Q?=E2=80=93_?=Environmental Neuroscience =?utf-8?Q?=E2=80=93_?=LNFP, =?utf-8?Q?Universit=C3=A9_?=de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France =?utf-8?Q?=E2=80=93_?=Application deadline

[Harold Mouras]

The Laboratoire de Neurosciences Fonctionnelles et Pathologies (UR-UPJV 4559, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France) is opening a call for applications for the 2026 ADEME PhD funding scheme (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://agirpourlatransition.ademe.fr/entreprises/aides-financieres/catalogue/aap/appel-projets-theses-edition-2026__;!!Mih3wA!HymbKsgUb1l5BmyYUGu0ky4db86MflchahFKPzIaXH3IF_Ih42KUToEfUAyHOlgQYPZfTkYwntZA9bw-ZfifGrrqMA2Z7X8AUqg$ ).
PhD project title:
Natural and polluted landscapes: towards a neurobehavioral assessment of health impacts
Project summary:
This PhD project sits at the intersection of neuroscience, environmental sciences, and public health, and aims to understand how exposure to natural versus polluted landscapes influences human bodily, emotional, and behavioral responses. Using immersive paradigms (curved screen, virtual reality) combined with state-of-the-art multimodal instrumentation (electroencephalography, posturography, electrodermal activity, heart rate variability, eye-tracking), the project will investigate the embodiment mechanisms engaged during the perception of contrasting environments. The goal is to identify objective biomarkers of stress, approach/avoidance, attention, and emotion regulation, and then integrate them into a composite, transferable environmental impact score usable at the territorial level. The PhD will combine controlled experimentation, advanced statistical analyses (mixed-effects models, mediation analyses), open science practices, and co-design with local authorities in the Hauts-de-France region, with a directly operational perspective for health impact assessment and evidence-based decision-making in spatial planning.
Related publications:

1. Akounach M, Lelard T, Mouras H (2025). Postural control modulation in response to pollution perception. Brain and Environment, 100003. DOI
Akounach, M., Lelard, T., Beaumont, A., Granon, S., and Mouras, H. (2022). Postural correlates of pollution perception. Brain Sciences, 12(7), 869
2. Beaumont, A., Lelard, T., Mouras, H., and Granon, S. (2020). Evoked pleasure and approach-avoidance in response to pollution. PLoS ONE, 15(6), e0234210
3. Berman, M. G., Jonides, J., and Kaplan, S. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science, 19(12), 1207–1212
4. Lelard, T., Godefroy, O., Ahmaidi, S., Krystkowiak, P., and Mouras, H. (2017). Mental simulation of painful situations has an impact on posture and psychophysiological parameters. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2012
5. Sawe, N., and Knutson, B. (2015). Neural valuation of environmental resources. NeuroImage, 122, 87–95
6. Ulrich, R. S. (1983). Aesthetic and affective response to natural environment. In Behavior and the Natural Environment (pp. 85–125). Boston, MA: Springer US
7. Vonesch, A., Duhot, C., Lelard, T., Léonard, G., Błażkiewicz, M., and Mouras, H. (2023). Non-Linear Measures of Postural Control in Response to Painful and Non-Painful Visual Stimuli. Entropy, 25(11), 1561
8. Yan, L., Winterbottom, D., and Liu, J. (2023). Towards a “Positive Landscape”: An Integrated Theoretical Model of Landscape Preference Based on Cognitive Neuroscience. Sustainability, 15(7), 6141

Application procedure:
Please send a single PDF document including your CV, a cover letter detailing your relevant experience, your interest in the project, your career plans, your Master’s transcripts, and any other documents supporting your knowledge and skills in the areas covered by this PhD project to harold.mouras at u-picardie.fr by 30 January 2026.