The French Association for the Study of the Quaternary – French National Committee of INQUA (AFEQ-CNF INQUA) awards every two years a prize of 500 euros intended to reward a thesis of excellent quality supported in a university or an authorized French or foreign organization and concerning work on the Quaternary.
Since 2020, this prize pays tribute to Franck Bourdier (1910-1985), internationally known for his work on the Quaternary of the Rhone Valley and the Paris Basin, former director of the Laboratory of Geology of the Quaternary and Prehistory of the EPHE and President of the AFEQ from 1972 to 1974.
CONTEST RULES
This prize is open to any French speaking young researcher who does not hold a permanent position in a public research institution or a private organization. Applicants must have completed a thesis in French or English and obtained the degree of doctor in the two years preceding the deadline for submission of the application file. They must be members of the association and up to date of their membership fee.
The jury is made up of the members of the association council who, for each thesis, solicit a reporter from outside the council. The decision taken by the jury is sovereign and without appeal. The prize is awarded on the occasion of “Q” symposia organized by the association. The laureate is committed to make a presentation of his work during the conference.
The next Franck Bourdier Thesis Prize will be awarded in June 2026 during the Quaternaire Q15 conference in Toulouse. Eligible theses are those defended between November 1, 2023, and October 31, 2025.
The application file includes:
- 1 sheet including contact information for the applicant;
- the thesis in pdf format;
- a summary of the thesis which will be published in the Quaternary journal after validation by the drafting committee (2 pages max, with 1 or 2 figures);
- the rapporteurs’ reports;
- 1 short curriculum vitae;
- a list of publications;
- a maximum of 2 most significant publications in pdf format.
Submitted files must be clearly named (e.g., LASTNAME_CV).
Application files should be sent to the AFEQ – CNF INQUA Secretariat: afeq.secretariat@gmail.com
Download the call for applications
You can find the list of recipients of the Franck Bourdier Thesis Award presented by AFEQ – CNF INQUA:
FRANCK BOURDIER THESIS AWARD LAUREATE 2026
The 2026 AFEQ–CNF INQUA Thesis Award was presented to Jules Kemper by Amaëlle Landais, President of AFEQ, during the Q15 Conference held in Toulouse (15–18 June 2026). The award recognizes his doctoral dissertation, defended on 17 December 2024, entitled: “How Do Humans Access, Occupy, and Modify Underground Environments? Interpreting Human Actions in Cave Landscapes through Geomorphology. Applications to La Garma Cave (Cantabria, Spain) and Saint-Marcel Cave (Ardèche, France)”. This research was conducted under the supervision of J.-J. Delannoy, S. Jaillet, P. Arias Cabal, and R. Ontañón Peredo at Université Savoie Mont Blanc and the Edytem Laboratory. Following the award ceremony, Jules Kemper presented the main findings of his doctoral research.
Presentation of the Franck Bourdier Thesis Award to Jules Kemper by A. Landais, President of AFEQ, during the Q15 Conference.
Oral presentation by J. Kemper during the Q15 Conference.
Thesis Abstract
This dissertation investigates the relationships that human societies have maintained with underground environments over time, focusing on both the evolution of cave access and the modification of subterranean landscapes. How can geomorphology help us understand the evolution of cave landscapes while also identifying morphological anomalies that bear witness to human intervention? To address these questions, this research applies an anthropo-geomorphological approach to two cave sites: La Garma Cave (Spain) and Saint-Marcel Cave (France). This geoarchaeological methodology is based on a threefold framework combining 3D topographic surveying, high-resolution geomorphological mapping, and relative chronology. These methods were specifically adapted to identify subtle traces of sediment remobilization, including clast-by-clast analysis, the orientation of broken speleothems, and other fine-scale indicators. The methodological developments undertaken in this work also led to the proposal of several new graphical and documentary tools, including progression difficulty diagrams and spectral diagrams. At Saint-Marcel Cave, this approach revealed Mesolithic structures located nearly 1.5 km from the cave entrance, indicating that prehistoric visitors negotiated several obstacles that already existed at the time of occupation. At La Garma Cave, evidence for up to four successive phases of cave modification was identified, three of which date to the Palaeolithic. Some of these constructions appear to have been directly related to issues of movement and progression within the cave. These findings provide encouraging new insights into ancient underground practices while also demonstrating the potential of anthropo-geomorphology to detect and interpret subtle traces of past human activity in subterranean environments.
Two honorable mentions were also awarded to:
- Marie Bouchet for her research entitled: « Coherent dating of deep polar ice cores and implications for understanding climate mechanisms » , conducted at LSCE (Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement; Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CEA, UVSQ) and IGE (Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement; Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, INRAE, IRD), under the supervision of Amaëlle Landais and the co-supervision of Frédéric Parrenin ;
- Pierre Linchamps for his research entitled: « Diversity and evolution of Quaternary micromammal faunas from South Africa: novel approaches for reconstructing the palaeoenvironments of early hominins », conducted at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), under the supervision of Raphaël Cornette, Pierre Latouche, and Emmanuelle Stoetzel.
FRANCK BOURDIER THESIS AWARD LAUREATE 2024
The AFEQ – CNF INQUA 2024 Thesis Prize was awarded to Anaïs VIGNOLES for her dissertation entitled: “Trajectoires technologiques et dynamiques de niches éco-culturelles du Gravettien moyen au Gravettien récent en France”. She defended her thesis in 2021 at the University of Bordeaux, under the supervision of William Banks (UMR 5199 PACEA) and Laurent Klaric (UMR 7055 PréTech). The manuscript and appendices, as well as the data and scripts, are freely accessible online.
The Franck Bourdier Thesis Prize awarded to Anaïs Vignoles during Q14 in Rennes in March 2024.
Anaïs Vignoles’s PhD thesis focuses on Gravettian lithic technologies in France and their chrono-geographic variability in relation to environmental and cultural factors. Her research particularly examines the transition between the Middle Gravettian (32–28.5 ka cal BP), characterized by two cultural facies (Noaillian and Rayssian), and the Late Gravettian (28.5–26.5 ka cal BP) in France. This transition is marked both by a technological shift and a change in occupied territory and coincides with a period of significant climatic instability. However, the direct relationship between cultural and environmental change is often difficult to demonstrate and remains widely debated.
To address this issue, Anaïs Vignoles synthesized available archaeological data for these periods, studied lithic assemblages from several sites herself, and applied the eco-cultural niche modeling method (e.g., Banks et al. 2006).
Her work confirmed previously proposed hypotheses, such as a clear cultural divergence across the Garonne-Ariège axis during the Middle Gravettian—between the Pyrenean piedmont (characterized solely by the Noaillian) and regions north of the Garonne (where both Noaillian and Rayssian are present). A distinct cultural and chronological break follows with the Late Gravettian. Most importantly, her research clearly demonstrated for the first time a direct relationship between this pattern of chrono-regional cultural variability and climatic, environmental, and geographic conditions. Major technological changes did not necessarily coincide with significant shifts in prey choice, highlighting the predominant, though not exclusive, role of environmental factors and their interactions with social factors (e.g., subsistence strategies, territorial and technological organization, transmission biases) in shaping technological and cultural trajectories during the Middle and Late Gravettian in France.
One of the original aspects of this thesis is its strong grounding in archaeological questions—especially those concerning the drivers of transmission and diffusion of technical traditions—and its critical approach to datasets prior to modeling. In addition to her excellent command of the concepts and methods used, particularly in modeling, Anaïs Vignoles maintained close engagement with field.
FRANCK BOURDIER THESIS AWARD LAUREATE 2022
The Franck Bourdier Thesis Award was awarded to Kim GENUITE for her work entitled: “Paléogéographies et reconstitution géomorphologie 3D : application aux environnements des sites ornés“.
The Franck Bourdier Thesis Award awarded to Kim Genuite during Q13 in Strasbourg in March 2022. © O. Moine.
Two honorable mentions were also awarded to:
- Ségolène VANDEVELDE for her thesis entitled: “Y’a pas de suie sans feu ! : étude micro-chronologique des concrétions fuligineuses. Etude de cas : le site paléolithique de la Grotte Mandrin (France) “.
- William RAPUC for his thesis entitled: “Les grands lacs périalpins : archives du fonctionnement de la zone critique“.
FRANCK BOURDIER THESIS AWARD LAUREATE 2020
The Franck Bourdier Thesis Award was awarded ex aequo to two young doctors during the Q12 Conference in Paris:
Anaëlle Vayssière and Coralie Zorzi received their award from Pascal Bertran, AFEQ President, during the Q12 Conference in Paris.
FRANCK BOURDIER THESIS AWARD LAUREATE 2018
The Franck Bourdier Thesis Award was awarded ex aequo to two young doctors during the Q11 Conference in Orléans:
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Charlotte PRUD’HOMME for her work entitled: “Les granules de calcite de vers de terre, un support innovant pour la reconstitution du paléoclimat du Dernier Glaciaire en milieu loessique en milieu loessique européen: Application à l’étude des interactions Homme-environnement au Paléolithique“.
Thesis prize awarded to Charlotte PRUD’HOMME by Franck BASSINOT, President of AFEQ-CNF INQUA, in February 2018 during the Q11 Conference in Orléans.
- Marion CORNUAULT for her work entitled: “Traçage des masses d’eau en Méditerranée orientale depuis la dernière période glaciaire : approches isotopique (ƐNd, isotopes stables) et micropaléontologique (foraminifères benthiques)“.
