PhD position in Design of Cross- and Multi-species Genetic Circuits

Back to jobs listing

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

You will be welcomed in the Micalis unit, a joint research unit between INRAE, AgroParisTech, and the
University of Paris-Saclay.
Project Background: Bioengineering of genetic and metabolic circuits has a wide range of applications.
However, most efforts in circuit design are currently limited to a small subset of laboratory model
organisms used in monocultures, many of which may be incompatible for their target applications.
Expanding circuit design to a novel organism remains an uphill task that requires characterisation of new
genetic parts and re-construction of the circuit for each new organism of interest. This doctoral project
aims to develop tools and strategies for building cross-species compatible genetic circuits. We expect the
results of the work to facilitate rapid implementation of circuits in non-model organisms, while preserving
their function, and enabling their deployment in multi-species communities. The tools developed here will
help expedite the design and implementation of synthetic genetic and metabolic circuits in new chassis
organisms suited for diverse biotechnology applications.

The unit is subject to the regulations of a Restricted Zone. Recruitment is therefore subject to validation by the Ministry.

Training and skills

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with experience in experimental synthetic biology,
including microbiology and molecular/cell biology techniques. Some background in programming,
bioinformatics, or computational modelling would be an added advantage. They should have strong
communication skills and the willingness to work collaboratively with other members of the team and
project collaborators, including biologists, engineers, mathematicians, and computer scientists. A Master’s
degree or equivalent is required for PhD registration at the Structure et dynamique des systèmes vivants
(SDSV) doctoral school of the University of Paris-Saclay.

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