diff --git a/src/backend/core/tests/test_api_users.py b/src/backend/core/tests/test_api_users.py
index 91863dc5..179b19ad 100644
--- a/src/backend/core/tests/test_api_users.py
+++ b/src/backend/core/tests/test_api_users.py
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ def test_api_users_list_query_short_queries():
     """
     Queries shorter than 5 characters should return an empty result set.
     """
-    user = factories.UserFactory()
+    user = factories.UserFactory(email="paul@example.com")
     client = APIClient()
     client.force_login(user)