PostDoctoral Position: Image-Based Drug Screening Against Bacterial Pathogens

EPFL - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne; Lausanne; On-site; CHF 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

EPFL in Lausanne invites applications for a Postdoctoral Position in image-based drug screening against bacterial pathogens. The project will join Prof. Persat's lab to establish a new screening platform using single-cell imaging to target Gram-negative pathogens.

Responsibilities include designing a microscopy-based pipeline, developing imaging assays, and collaborating with teams in microbiology and drug discovery; co-supervise PhD students and contribute to grant reporting.

Qualifications

• PhD in microbiology, biophysics, bioengineering or related field, with at least one first author publication.
• Hands-on experience with quantitative microscopy (live-cell imaging, high-content screening, or single-cell imaging).
• Proficiency with image analysis and scripting (Python); ML-based image analysis is a plus.
• Interest in imaging, microbiology, and drug discovery.

Responsibilities

• Design and build a microscopy-based phenotypic screening pipeline (live imaging, high-content, single-cell resolution).
• Develop imaging assays capable of distinguishing mechanism of action (growth inhibition, biofilm disruption, membrane integrity).
• Develop or adapt image analysis pipelines, with ML support to handle screen-scale data.
• Follow up on screening hits to identify targets or MOA using genetic or biochemical approaches with lab support.
• Collaborate with discovery/design efforts to feed prioritized targets back into upstream design.
• Apply the pipeline to screens in culture and organoid/tissue-engineered infection models to prioritize hits.
• Co-supervise PhD students and contribute to method development, data management, and grant reporting.

Skills

Quantitative microscopy

Python scripting

Image analysis

Microbiology

Education

PhD in microbiology / biophysics / bioengineering

Tools

Python

Job description

PostDoctoral Position: Image-Based Drug Screening Against Bacterial Pathogens

EPFL - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

Lausanne, Switzerland

Mission

A postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Prof. Alex Persat (EPFL School of Life Sciences, to establish a new image-based drug screening platform targeting gram-negative pathogens (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The project will combine single-cell/single-bacterium imaging approaches with the lab's tissue-engineered infection models to identify and characterize compounds active against these priority pathogens.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Design and build a microscopy-based phenotypic screening pipeline (live imaging, high-content, single-cell resolution) to assay compound activity;
• Develop imaging assays capable of distinguishing mechanism of action (e.g. growth inhibition, biofilm/attachment disruption, membrane integrity);
• Develop or adapt image analysis and quantification pipelines with AI support to handle screen-scale data;
• Follow up on screening hits to identify their molecular target or mechanism of action (e.g. via genetic, chemical-biology, or biophysical approaches), with support from other lab members' expertise in microbiology and drug discovery;
• Collaborate with the lab's discovery and design efforts (natural products, AI-enabled molecular design) to feed prioritized targets and hits back into upstream design;
• Apply the pipeline to screens in both standard culture and, in collaboration with other lab members, the group's organoid/tissue-engineered infection models (airway, gut) to prioritize physiologically relevant hits;
• Co-supervise PhD students and contribute to method development, data management, and grant reporting.

Profile

• PhD in microbiology, biophysics, bioengineering, or a related field (completed or near completion) with at least a first author publication;
• Hands-on experience with quantitative microscopy (live-cell imaging, high-content screening, or single-cell/single-bacterium imaging);
• Comfort with image analysis pipelines and scripting (Python), experience integrating ML-based image analysis is a plus but not required;
• Interest in working across the interface of imaging, microbiology, and drug discovery.

EPFL - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne