Job offer

European Commission; France; Sur place; EUR 24 000 - 30 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Un projet de doctorat à la frontière de la biophysique et de la biologie est proposé par un laboratoire renommé à Paris. Le candidat sera impliqué dans la recherche sur le trafic du cholestérol, bénéficiant d'un encadrement interdisciplinaire et d'un accès à des plateformes technologiques avancées.

Qualifications

• Candidat ayant une formation en biologie ou une discipline connexe.
• Compétences en biophysique et en biologie cellulaire sont cruciales.
• Capacité à travailler dans un environnement de recherche interdisciplinaire.

Responsabilités

• Investiguer les voies de trafic intracellulaire du cholestérol.
• Collaborer avec des physiciens, biologistes et chimistes.
• Utiliser des technologies de pointe comme la microscopie à haute résolution.

Connaissances

Biophysique des membranes

Biologie cellulaire

Modélisation quantitative

Formation

Doctorat en biologie ou domaine connexe

Description du poste

Organisation/Company CNRS Department Laboratoire de physique de l'ENS Research Field Biological sciences Biological sciences » Biology Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Country France Application Deadline 10 Jul 2025 - 23:59 (UTC) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Sep 2025 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

This PhD project will take place at the Laboratoire de Physique de l'École Normale Supérieure (LPENS), located at 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, within the Physics Department of ENS-PSL. LPENS is a leading fundamental research laboratory operating at the interface of physics, biology, mathematics, and cognitive sciences.

The project will be carried out in a highly interdisciplinary research environment, bringing together expertise in membrane biophysics, cell biology, advanced imaging, and quantitative modeling. The PhD candidate will benefit from access to cutting-edge technological platforms (including high-resolution microscopy, lipid mass spectrometry, and functional genomics), as well as from a multidisciplinary mentoring team that fosters interaction between physicists, biologists, and chemists.

Cholesterol homeostasis is a central process in cell biology, involving a complex network of organelles specialized in its synthesis, transport, storage, and degradation. Under normal conditions, cholesterol is mainly synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or taken up through endocytosis of lipoproteins at the lysosomes. Its correct distribution among cellular compartments—such as the Golgi apparatus, plasma membrane, lysosomes, and lipid droplets (LDs)—is essential for maintaining cellular function. This thesis will investigate intracellular cholesterol trafficking pathways, with a particular focus on: the transport routes of free and esterified cholesterol between the ER, Golgi, lysosomes, and LDs; inter-organelle contact sites (membrane contact sites, MCSs) such as ER–LD, lysosome–LD, and Golgi–LD connections, which mediate rapid, non-vesicular lipid exchange; key regulatory proteins including oxysterol-binding proteins (ORPs), STARDs, Rab GTPases, and tethering factors like VPS13 and SNX14; the mechanisms of esterified cholesterol storage in LDs via acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferases (ACATs/SOATs), and its mobilization according to cellular needs; and finally, the consequences of disrupted cholesterol trafficking in pathological contexts such as lysosomal storage diseases (e.g., Niemann-Pick type C, Gaucher disease), atherosclerosis, and metabolic disorders linked to obesity.