Camille Contreras, Deputy Director of Data and Observatory, in charge of the “Indicators and impact assessment” sector and major projects referent

You are an alumna of UPPA... What was your course of study?

In 2015, after obtaining a DUT in Sales Techniques from the IUT of Tarbes, I joined UPPA in the third year of the Economics and Management degree. My first two years of higher education had made me realize that the economics courses were the ones that interested me the most and that I wanted to continue my studies in this field.

This year of undergraduate studies at UPPA confirmed my interest in economic sciences. I then joined the Master’s in Applied Economics, with a focus on Economic and Market Studies. As part of this program, I studied statistics and surveys, econometrics, market studies, qualitative research, as well as marketing, international trade, and economic analysis... I also took courses related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which particularly interested me.

At the end of my Master’s, I had the opportunity to pursue a PhD at UPPA. I conducted a thesis as part of the RESET project (Environmental and Social Responsibility of Companies in the New Aquitaine Region), funded by the New Aquitaine Region, within the UMR TREE (Energy and Environmental Transitions). I studied the motivations of companies to engage in CSR, relying on data collected as part of the project through a survey conducted among local businesses.

My research work was accompanied by teaching activities: I taught statistics and surveys for four years to first-year Master’s students in Applied Economics, where I taught survey methodology. To allow students to put their knowledge into practice, I supported them in conducting real studies. For example, we conducted a survey commissioned by E2S UPPA in collaboration with the Observatory of the institution (ODE; now Data and Observatory Department, DDO), as well as a study aimed at supporting an entrepreneurial student from UPPA with her business project.

After earning your degree from UPPA, what was your career path?

Alongside my final year of doctoral studies, at the end of 2021, I joined the team at the UPPA Observatory as a research officer. I worked on conducting and processing surveys within the university on a wide range of topics. Since then, the ODE has become the Data and Observatory Department (DDO). For a year, I held the position of Head of the IREKIA Observatory, one of the university's major projects aimed at transforming the training offer on the Basque Coast campuses. Very recently, my role has evolved within the DDO, and I am now Deputy Director and Head of the "Indicators and Impact Evaluation" sector. In this capacity, we assist in defining and collecting indicators to support decision-making and project follow-up and evaluation systems, including the assessment of their impacts.

What have these years at UPPA given you? 

These years of training at UPPA have given me so much. First of all, I gained skills that I now use daily in my professional activities: designing and conducting surveys, data analysis... Very attached to the region, UPPA gave me the opportunity to do almost all of my studies there and to carry out my professional project, in which I continue to cross paths with the teachers who accompanied and supported me throughout my journey. Having completed my studies and started my professional life at UPPA allowed me to connect with many actors from different components and services within the institution. These encounters have enriched my journey, network, and knowledge of the university.

Can you associate 2 or 3 words with UPPA? A key moment? 

2 or 3 words associated with UPPA: 

If I had to associate UPPA with a few words, I would say: Opportunity, Proximity, Region.

• UPPA has represented for me a series of opportunities: the opportunity to do a PhD, to join the DDO team...
• UPPA is a university of a human scale, which translates into a real proximity with the teaching and administrative teams.
• Through my PhD and my current professional activities, UPPA has allowed me to contribute to significant projects linked to the region, to which I am very attached.

A key moment: 

Thinking about a key moment takes me back to my PhD defense on December 9, 2022, which marked the end of my studies but also the beginning of my professional career at UPPA.

Want to learn more?

Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Management

Master's in Economic and Market Studies (CEEM)

Data and Observatory Department (DDO)  IREKIA