Call for Applications 2026 – Advanced Research Degree in Art and Design (DSRD)
ECOLAB Research Unit – ESAD Orléans

2026 Timeline:

Start of the programme: September 2026
Call for applications opens: 22 May 2026
Deadline for applications: 30 June 2026
Selection interviews: 2 and 3 July 2026

The Orléans School of Art and Design is recruiting 1 research students to join the DSRD at the ECOLAB research unit:

-Specialisation in Publishing, Media and Design: Publishing, Media and Design programme 

(1 place for the 2026 academic year)

https://emd.esadorleans.fr
https://esadorleans.fr/recherche/programmes-de-recherche-en-art-et-en-design/edition-media-design-expanded-publishing/

Specialisation in Arts, Crafts and Computation: required profile:

For the 2025 call for applications, we are seeking candidates whose current practice explicitly incorporates artificial intelligence, in connection with research into computational and/or generative design, and who have proven expertise in parametric design and 3D printing.

The DSRD, as part of the Objects, Crafts and Computation (OCC) research programme, is aimed at postgraduate students in art or design whose practice falls within the scope of contemporary approaches that draw on computation, digital fabrication and the algorithmic generation of forms, in conjunction with manual skills, craftsmanship and an interest in materials. This programme explores how digital environments can engage with craft-based, or even vernacular, skills, whilst developing a reflection on new materialities. It examines how these dynamics influence the agency of the objects and artefacts designed. The approach adopted within this programme is intended to be critical and situated, particularly with regard to collective dynamics, the commons and the reversibility of processes.

The candidate must propose a personal research-creation project capable of engaging actively with the work developed within the OCC programme.

In addition to their individual project, the student will be fully integrated into the programme’s collective dynamics. They will take part in shared research sessions, contribute to ongoing collaborative projects, and regularly present the progress of their work. Involvement in knowledge transfer, notably through occasional mentoring of other students, is also expected, in consultation with the teaching team.

Specialisation in Media Archaeology and Images, required profile:

The DSRD, as part of the research programme in art and design (PAD) “Media Archaeology and Images” (AMI), is aimed at graduates in art and media design who have a strong interest in past and present forms of imagery, from digital to analogue, signal aesthetics, high and low definition, low-tech practices, expanded cinema, archived/appropriated images, etc.

The research topic must align with the programme’s main themes (see the programme website), including, amongst others, experiments in the reactivation of practices in dialogue with contemporary production, recording devices and the ways in which they shape narratives and storytelling, and influence documentary, technical, poetic and artistic approaches.

The research topic may thus experiment with and explore the plurality of the image in all its forms and spatialisations: still image, moving image, time-based image and sound image, whilst developing an original and personal practice grounded in theoretical and critical reflection on post-photography, the “poor image”, “dead media” (or “zombie media”), and “spectral practices”.

In addition to their research project, the student will be required to participate in the programme’s collective projects. They are expected to present the progress of their work to the programme’s student group at designated times. They may also occasionally take on the role of mentoring students, with the aim of passing on their skills in specific areas of work—whether theoretical or practical—as agreed in advance with the teaching team.

Admission

The DSRD is aimed at:

  • Graduates in design, art or related disciplines who hold a DNSEP (Diplôme National Supérieur d’Expression Plastique) or a Master’s degree in a field related to the creative arts;

– Professionals engaged in research in a field related to the creative arts;

Application File

  • A CV (detailing initial training, professional background, exhibitions, publications, research projects, etc.)
  • A cover letter (maximum 2 pages) outlining the applicant’s background, past experience, creative and/or research approach, and their interest in the research programme and the specialisation of their choice.
  • A research portfolio (electronic format only) presenting a selection of completed works, as well as, where applicable, texts, articles, catalogues and exhibition documentation.

Please email your application, including the following documents, to contact-recherche@esad-orleans.fr.

DSRD at ESAD Orléans

The Higher Diploma in Design Research (DSRD) is a postgraduate qualification recognised by the Ministry of Culture and awarded following three years of independent research.

The DSRD forms part of the ECOLAB research unit, which brings together a team of around fifteen researchers working on issues related to our digital environment in dialogue with questions of ecological transition. It draws on a long history of postgraduate study, during which student-researchers have been able to develop unique, critical and socially engaged research projects directly linked to the challenges of contemporary society, using an approach centred on design creation.

The DSRD at ESAD Orléans comprises three specialisations linked to the art and design research programmes of the ECOLAB research unit:

The student-researcher’s original research project consists of a creative and intellectual output that must be linked to one of these three research programmes.

The title and research focus of the personal project are determined by the research programme team. To this end, the student-researcher draws on the resources of ESAD Orléans: its research unit, its research programmes, its lecturer-researchers, its technical teams, its networks, as well as its production, publishing and residency facilities

Content and assessment

The training programme leading to the DSRD is delivered by the ECOLAB research unit.

Award of the diploma is conditional upon the completion of 360 hours of practical work (120 hours per year) and the successful defence of an academic dissertation and a design project. 

Progression to the following year is conditional upon 120 hours of practical work (participation in the research unit’s activities and research programmes; publications; exhibitions; personal research project, etc.).

The format of the personal research project defence is not predefined. It may itself take the form of an artistic or design-based approach. It may also be approached in a more conventional manner, drawing in particular on the academic model with regard to the written component. The physical design work must be displayed (exhibited) in a suitable venue and form the subject of partnerships with one or more recognised venues for the dissemination of contemporary art and design.

Student Charter 

Students on the DSRD programme are granted student-researcher status, a workspace and a range of resources to support their work. 

Student-researchers may be enrolled on a postgraduate programme at another higher education institution.

The DSRD programme lasts three years, with the possibility of extending it by one or two years (subject to approval by the ECOLAB Research Unit and ESAD Orléans).

Practical information

Working language
French
Level B2 required for non-French-speaking students (TCF or DELF)

Annual tuition fees: €200

Financial support
An annual grant of €500 is awarded to DSRD students by ESAD Orléans. 
DSRD students will be given priority for teaching assistant positions in modelling and casting, photography and prototyping. They may be invited to deliver lectures or workshops at undergraduate level.