Lydie Launay

Lydie Launay is a Lecturer in sociology at the University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès, where she has been a faculty member since 2023. She is affiliated with the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Solidarity, Societies, Territories (LISST-CERS), where she conducts research on urban sociology and social inequalities. Prior to her current position, she was a Lecturer at Institut National Universitaire Champollion in Albi from 2015-2023 and has held research positions at INED Paris, Université Paris-Dauphine, and London Metropolitan University.

Professor Launay's research focuses on socio-spatial segregation, examining it through three main perspectives: social diversity as a benchmark for territorialized social policies, residential trajectories of working and middle classes, and urban sociability. Her work combines urban sociology with social network analysis methods to study how local relationships function within personal networks and contribute to social segregation processes. She frequently employs international comparative approaches, particularly between Paris and London, to investigate urban gentrification in working-class neighborhoods and the integration of socially rehoused populations in middle-class areas.

Her recent publications show a strong focus on the social impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, examining disruptions to interpersonal relationships, residential trajectories, and neighborhood dynamics during lockdown periods. This work builds on her longstanding expertise in housing policies, social mix, and urban segregation.

Professor Launay currently co-coordinates the ANR PANELVICO project (2023-2027) which examines the long-term social consequences of the health crisis, and previously contributed to the ANR VICO project on social relationships during lockdown. Her research demonstrates a consistent commitment to understanding how spatial contexts shape social relations and inequalities.

She supervises one doctoral student and multiple Master's students in sociology, social intervention, and urban planning. Her academic career shows progression through the French academic system with increasing research responsibilities and leadership roles in major national research projects.