Professions within the GIN

The GIN gathers skills and resources from several research institutions relating to research. Within the Inserm research center, there is obviously some personnel from Inserm, but also from the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research), the CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, the CHU (University Hospital Center) and from the UGA (Université Grenoble Alpes).

This grouping of all of the stakeholders participates in the transversality of research fields and facilitates the interplay between basic, clinical and applied research in Neuroscience. Thus, researchers can take advantage of the proximity of the CHU for some trials, and external researchers often come to enrich the activity of the 250 individuals working at the GIN.

• Director: They make all of the final decisions concerning the Institute and are supported by a deputy director. In the case of the GIN, they are also the director of one of the research teams.
• Researcher : This is someone who has a Ph.D. (who has defended a thesis) and at least eight years of study after the French baccalaureate. There are several researcher profiles in the GIN:
  • The researcher who devotes all of their time to research
  • The teacher-researcher who devotes a part of their time to academic teaching and the rest to research
  • The clinician whose profession is to be a researcher and also a hospital doctor

Other positions are deemed equivalent to the researcher profession. They correspond to different grades and sometime to different professions.

• The research director grade is the highest (in the teacher-researcher category, the equivalent is a University professor). A research director often leads a team and manages experimentations conducted and the results. Therefore, part of their time is dedicated to human, financial and material management for the subject covered by their team.
• The research engineer has completed a Ph.D. and is part of a team. They usually develop their own subject within the team, but with a technical dimension. In some cases, they may have to supervise doctoral students.
• Doctoral students (preparing a thesis) or post-doctoral researchers (who have completed a Ph.D. and are on a short-term contract with the Institute) are also assimilated to researchers.

• Research engineer: This is someone with a minimum of five years of studies, sometimes with a Ph.D., and who holds a position of responsibility in the cutting-edge technology sector. At the GIN, they are for instance in charge of optical or electronic microscopy and ensure they function correctly. As experts of this field, research engineers interact with the researcher in order to define which technologies could be useful for the trials. Together they manage the platform and monitor technological developments to define the investments needed to enhance the platform. They are also in charge of implementing technical needs of research teams by developing new methodologies or procedures.
• Technician: Their academic training is a bit shorter but specialized in techniques crucial for the efficiency of research trials. They are involved in many activities and may be part either of a research team or a platform. In animal houses for instance, technicians care for the well-being of animals (hygiene, food, environment…) and for the proper carrying out of trials.
• Administrator: They usually have a higher technician license and handle administrative and interdisciplinary tasks. This person interacts with research teams in order to manage everything relating to contracts, loans, mission planning and logistics support. At the GIN, administrators take care of several research teams at a time but they are attached to the management team.
• Human resources manager: This person supervises all issues concerning human resources in the Institute. At the GIN, this person is also the Administrative and Financial Manager.
• Reception agent: The reception agent is a central person in the building as their role is not only to welcome the personnel or visitors, but they also take care of the smooth running of the building as a whole as regards material aspects, such as furniture, lighting, cleaning, access badges, specific waste sorting and dispatching, and parking. They are also in charge of mail and order reception as well as dispatch.
• Technical departement manager: They assist the reception agent in all their building cleaning and maintenance tasks. They are also in charge of welcoming companies and have a workshop thanks to which they can carry out simple tasks (putting up a shelf, changing light bulbs, etc.).
• Laundry manager: This person is in charge of the functioning of technical devices for which it is necessary to be trained and accredited, such as the autoclave and the “poupinel” (devices used for sterilization). They are also responsible for the sterilization and cleaning of utensils used by research teams, as well as the cleaning of some specific rooms.