Job offer

European Commission; France; Sur place; EUR 40 000 - 60 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

L'Institut du Cerveau recrute des candidats au doctorat pour le programme MENTOR, financé par l'UE, axé sur les voies mTOR dans les troubles épileptiques. Les chercheurs auront l'opportunité de travailler avec des technologies de pointe en génomique et neurosciences au sein d'un environnement stimulant, avec un salaire compétitif.

Prestations

Formation complète

Encadrement par des experts

Budget supplémentaire pour le voyage

Opportunité de développement professionnel

Avantages familiaux

Qualifications

• Candidats doivent posséder des compétences en génomique et analyse unicellulaire.
• Familiarité avec les neurosciences et l'électrophysiologie nécessaire.
• Anglais courant exigé.

Responsabilités

• Découverte de gènes causant l'épilepsie par séquençage.
• Identification des types cellulaires porteurs de mutations.
• Analyse des tissus cérébraux épileptiques par génomique.

Connaissances

Connaissances en génomique

Analyse de données unicellulaires

Compétences en électrophysiologie

Proficience en anglais

Formation

Diplôme de Master ou équivalent

Description du poste

Organisation/Company Insitut du Cerveau (Paris Brain Institute) Research Field Neurosciences Biological sciences Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country France Application Deadline 26 Jun 2025 - 17:00 (Europe/Paris) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 37h50 Offer Starting Date 1 Sep 2025 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Reference Number 101168624 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The MENTOR Doctoral program, coordinated by Université Paris Cité, is an EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA DN) that aims to foster and train Doctoral Candidates (DC) on the metabolic control of cell growth by mTOR in pathophysiology.

The program offers the unique opportunity to develop both specialized and transferable skills, preparing researchers for diverse career paths within and beyond academia. The PhD salaries are at the highest international range and an additional budget is provided for travel to participate in international Schools and collaborations.

Objectives : Focal Cortical Dysplasia type II (FCDII) causes severe drug-resistant pediatric epilepsy through mTOR pathway hyperactivation. FCDII-associated epilepsy is typically resistant to anti-seizure medications, and patients ultimately require neurosurgical resection of the epileptogenic zone for seizure control, allowing direct analysis of diseased tissue. The Baulac lab is one of the pioneers in the identification of brain somatic mutations in FCDII affecting various genes belonging to the mTOR pathway and which cause mTOR hyperactivation. However, there are still ~40% of FCDII cases that remain unsolved genetically. Moreover, the cell-type and developmental origin of FCDII abnormal cells remain poorly understood. DC6 will:

• discover novel FCDII-causing genes in the mTOR pathway through ultra-deep sequencing;
• identify mutation-carrying cell types and their developmental origins using single-cell approaches;
• map electrophysiological dysfunction to molecular changes via MEA recordings coupled with spatial transcriptomics from human acute cortical slices and mouse models.

PhD candidate will analyze surgical epileptic brain tissues using cutting-edge genomics (targeted panels, whole exome/genome sequencing, longread sequencing), single-nucleus RNA sequencing, laser-capture microdissection, and integrate functional electrophysiology with spatial transcriptomics.

Expected Results: The PhD candidate will identify the cell types involved in epileptogenesis, determine the developmental origin of abnormal FCDII cells, and elucidate molecular and cellular mechanisms dysregulated by mTOR-activating mutations, while establishing functional correlations between genetic alterations and electrophysiological phenotypes.

Knowledge and Competence required:

• Knowledge in genomics and single-cell omics analysis
• Basic knowledge of molecular neuroscience and electrophysiology
• Proficiency in English

Description of the working conditions: Research will be conducted at the Institut du Cerveau (ICM)/Paris Brain Institute a state-of-the-art neuroscience research center, located within the Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière campus in central Paris.

ICM has cutting-edge core facilities including sequencing, cell culture, animal facility, histology, cell imaging (confocal- & biphoton- microscopy), cell sorting, proteomics, vector and gene transfer, bioinformatics, and electrophysiology.

Entitlements offered by the recruiting Institution: PhD degree in Neurogenetics.

Prospects of career development: The multidisciplinary nature of this Research and Educational program provides extensive career opportunities in both Academia and Industry. Previous Baulac lab alumni have achieved successful careers as independent group leaders, tenured researchers, university professors, pharmaceutical industry scientists, and clinical research associates.

Planned secondments: 3 months at FORTH-BRI for brain organoid modeling FCDII gene variants that alter mTORC1 activity. 3 months at Cell Signalling Technology for phospho-specific antibody development of differentially regulated proteins in mutant brains.

• Knowledge in genomics and single-cell omics analysis
• Basic knowledge of molecular neuroscience and electrophysiology
• Proficiency in English

Level Excellent

Research Field Biological sciences » Biology

Research Field Neurosciences

Additional Information

Opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary environment, receive comprehensive training, and benefit from mentorship provided by leading experts in their respective fields.

The selected candidates will be employed on a full-time 3-year contract.

Salary: Living allowance - 3957,6€/month (Gross salary including employer contributions), Mobility allowance - 600€/month, Family allowance (if applicable) - 660€/month

Eligibility criteria

Early-stage researchers of any nationality, who have not yet been awarded a PhD at the date of recruitment. Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Mobility Requirement: Researchers they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date — unless as part of a compulsory national service or a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention.
• Qualification: Applicants must hold a degree that qualifies them for doctoral studies in the country where they will conduct their research. Candidates must be fluent in English.
• Completed application form with all required information
• CV
• Two recommendation letters from the scientists who previously mentored the applicant
• A scanned copy of your original Master’s degree along with full transcripts. If the Master’s degree is not completed by the application deadline (June 26, 2025), applicants must upload their BSc degree/diploma in English, along with a transcript of completed courses from their Master’s program, clearly indicating the expected graduation date.

Please note that the selected candidate must start by September 1.

The criteria of selection will be:

• Academic excellence: education and merit (broad scientific knowledge, university marks)
• Motivation and fit: applicants must provide a letter (statement) emphasizing why they desire to be enrolled in MENTOR, and why they fit into the consortium and meet the specific requirements of the position.
• Language skills: candidates must be fluent (speaking/reading/writing) in English

Additional comments

MENTOR is explicitly committed to the principle of equal opportunities.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program under the MSCA GA 101168624