Internship OT-30428
Master internship – 6 months
06903 Sophia Antipolis
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 join the IPO team (Plant-Oomycete Interactions) at INRAE's Sophia Agrobiotech Institute. The team investigates the dynamics between plants and oomycete pathogens from sporulation through late infection. It comprises 6 researchers and 5 PhD students. For this internship, you will focus on the pathogens. Oomycetes are a fascinating group of microorganisms that includes some of the most destructive plant pathogens worldwide. Although they superficially resemble fungi, these microbes belong to a distinct evolutionary lineage with specific biological features. Understanding how these features ultimately contribute to virulence remains a major challenge in molecular plant pathology. One of the most powerful approaches to uncover the function of a gene is also one of the most universal in experimental biology: remove it and determine what changes. During this internship, you will use CRISPR/Cas genome editing to investigate the molecular basis of oomycete biology (Vink et al., 2023). The internship will focus primarily on one of the following questions, selected according to ongoing work in the laboratory, with opportunities to explore additional questions depending on progress:
- How do zoospores sense and respond to their environment? You will investigate the contribution of mastigonemes (hair-like structures decorating the flagella) to swimming behaviour and potentially to collective behaviours such as density-dependent (“crowd-sensing”) responses.
- How do oomycetes perceive mechanical signals during plant infection? You will investigate the function of candidate mechanosensitive ion channels and their contribution to pathogen development, host penetration, and infection.
- What do oomycete-specific genetic innovations actually do? You will investigate genes that represent evolutionary innovations in oomycetes, such as the Mustekeer proteins, a family of DIX-domain proteins that diversified specifically in oomycetes (Kostareli et al., 2025), and test their contribution to oomycete biology.
You will use genome-editing methods already established in the laboratory to generate targeted mutants, genotype the resulting strains, and characterise their cellular, developmental and/or infection phenotypes. The project is embedded in ongoing research, and your results will directly complement the work of two PhD students. You will therefore experience how an individual experimental project contributes to a broader scientific question. You will work in close interaction with a researcher with extensive experience in oomycete molecular and cellular biology. You will present and discuss your results during laboratory meetings and participate in informal scientific exchanges (in English) with collaborators from Wageningen University & Research (The Netherlands), providing opportunities for international scientific exposure and networking. The internship is particularly suited to a student interested in molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, plant-microbe interactions, or cell biology, and who wishes to gain hands-on experience in genome editing while addressing fundamental biological questions. Depending on mutual interest and the outcome of the internship, the project may provide a basis for a subsequent PhD application.
Training and skills
Training and skills
- Master 2 students (or equivalent). Internship duration: 6 months.
- Applications from Master 1 students can be considered only if their programme allows a six-month internship.
Required skills and profile
- Knowledge of molecular biology and familiarity with axenic culture techniques
- Ability to conduct a literature review
- Good English communication skills
- Interest in contributing to ongoing research projects
- Attention to detail, independence, organisational skills, and ability to work as part of a team
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
All persons employed by or hosted at INRAE, a public research establishment, are subject to the Civil Service Code, particularly with regard to the obligation of neutrality and respect for the principle of secularism. In carrying out their functions, whether or not they are in contact with the public, they must not express their religious, philosophical or political convictions through their behaviour or by what they wear. > Find out more: fonction publique.gouv.fr website (in French)