POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN CHEMICAL ECOLOGY OF PLANT-INSECT INTERACTIONS

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INRAE presentation

The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) is a major player in research and innovation. It is a community of 12,000 people with 272 research, experimental research, and support units located in 18 regional centres throughout France. Internationally, INRAE is among the top research organisations in the agricultural and food sciences, plant and animal sciences, as well as in ecology and environmental science. It is the world’s leading research organisation specialising in agriculture, food and the environment. INRAE’s goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. Faced with a growing world population, climate change, resource scarcity, and declining biodiversity, the Institute has a major role to play in building solutions and supporting the necessary acceleration of agricultural, food and environmental transitions.

Work environment, missions and activities

• This postdoctoral position is to take part in the ERC-funded ALTEREVO project coordinated by Dr Jean-Christophe Simon, which aims at identifying the evolutionary and molecular determinants of host-plant alternation in aphids. For more details on the project: https://www.inrae.fr/en/news/erc-grant-better-understand-plant-insect-interactions. You will be welcomed in INRAE IGEPP, in Le Rheu nearby Rennes, Brittany, France (https://www6.rennes.inrae.fr/igepp_eng/). IGEPP is a joint research unit from three institutional bodies (INRAE, University of Rennes and Institut Agro). It offers excellent infrastructures to carry out molecular and biological experiments on plants and insects, including high performance climatic chambers, confined laboratories to work on genetically modified or quarantine organisms, up-to-date molecular biology labs and equipment and a metabolomic platform (P2M2).
• Under the supervision of JC Simon, within an ambitious project involving other permanent and ERC-funded staff, you will be in charge of identifying the plant cues that trigger host alternation in aphids. You will collect plant sap with different techniques including stylectomy, perform metabolic analysis of plant samples using the P2M2 platform, test plant candidate compounds in aphid feeding assays, and characterize plant volatiles and aphid responses (using olfactometry and EAG techniques). You will benefit from scientific support from partners with expertise in plant physiology, metabolomics and chemical ecology of plant-insect interactions. You will also receive technical and methodological support for conducting experiments.

some activities out of working hours

Training and skills

• You should hold a PhD in the field of chemical ecology and an ability to conduct a research project in autonomy while being able to collaborate within a team. Skills and knowledge in plant physiology and metabolomics are crucial for the project. Experience in chemical ecology of plant-insect interactions is appreciated. Excellent skills in writing and communicating in English.

INRAE's life quality

By joining our teams, you benefit from (depending on the type of contract and its duration):

- up to 30 days of annual leave + 15 days "Reduction of Working Time" (for a full time);
- parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
- skills development systems: training, career advise;
- social support: advice and listening, social assistance and loans;
- holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
- sports and cultural activities;
- collective catering.

How to apply

I send my CV and my motivation letter