sentences:  These ranks are "maître de conférences associé" (MAST) and "professeur des universités associé" (PAST), depending on academic experience.Despite the similarity, "associé" is not synonymous with "associate" (an associate professor is a mid-seniority professor, where a "professeur associé" is a part-time professor) and would be closer to adjunct.There also exist permanent, research positions, without teaching duties.