Job offer

European Commission; France; Sur place; EUR 45 000 - 75 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Le poste de directeur de recherche proposé à l'IRD porte sur la lutte contre les maladies tropicales négligées. Il implique la direction de projets de recherche et la supervision d'étudiants tout en proposant des formations aux pays du Sud. Il est crucial pour renforcer les capacités locales et soutenir des politiques de santé publique.

Qualifications

• PhD en génétique ou domaines connexes.
• Au moins 2 ans d'expérience post-doctorale recommandés.
• Compétences en anglais obligatoires.

Responsabilités

• Diriger la recherche sur les maladies tropicales négligées.
• Développer des outils pour le contrôle des maladies.
• Former des étudiants et des professionnels locaux.

Connaissances

Population genetics

Bioinformatics

Teamwork

Interpersonal skills

Adaptability

Formation

Doctorat en génomique ou écologie

Description du poste

French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development

Organisation/Company French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development Research Field Other Researcher Profile Established Researcher (R3) Positions Other Positions Country France Application Deadline 2 Jul 2025 - 23:59 (Europe/Paris) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Dec 2025 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

• Planned tenured position as IRD Research Director after a3 to 6-year contract
• Chair attached to the Joint Research Unit Host-vector-parasite-environment interactions in the Neglected Tropical Diseases due to Trypanosomatids –INTERTRYP(IRD, Cirad, Univ Montpellier) Montpellier, France.
• Context and stakes for the Global South

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of about 20, mostly infectious, highly debilitating and often fatal diseases that occur mainly in poor countries in the South and also affect the most vulnerable populations in the North. They affect more than one billion people in 150 countries. The most affected populations are those living in poverty, lacking access to adequate sanitation and are in close contact with infectious vectors and domestic animals. Some examples below.

Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis: Trypanosoma cruzi parasites transmitted by triatomine bugs, but also orally, through blood transfusion, transplantation, or congenitally. It still affects 6 to 8 million people a year, of which less than 1% have access to diagnosis and treatment, despite successes in vector control. This NTD also affects Europe (via the very present mother-to-child transmission) and its agent, Trypanosoma cruzi , which has a large genetic diversity structured in several clades, is found in more than 100 animal species, adding to the complexity of the fight.

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease transmitted by phlebotomines (sandflies), caused by more than 20 species of human-pathogenic Leishmania parasites. More than one billion people at risk of infection live in 98 endemic countries (four continents), 71 of which are described with several species of Leishmania circulating. There are three main clinical forms of leishmaniasis: visceral leishmaniasis (VL), and skin and muco-cutaneous forms.

Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT): In 1998, HAT due to Trypanosoma brucei gambiense transmitted by tsetse flies, an untreatable and highly stigmatizing disease, was a scourge with an estimated 300,000 cases (WHO). Awareness of the international community and an exemplary collaboration of the main actors (including those in research) to support national control programs allow today to make it one of the first NTDs to meet the WHO NTD Roadmap targets and SDG target 3.3, with fewer than 1,000 cases reported annually since 2022. This result was achieved through an integrated control strategy, both medical and antivectorial, based on research results. The next goal of the roadmap is to interrupt transmission by 2030.

Anchored in the strategic vision of UMR, the selected researcher will play a cross-cutting and interdisciplinary role, addressing several vector-borne NTDs. Research will contribute to the elimination of these diseases through three key areas: (i) controlling and monitoring vectors, and studying their life history traits using population genomics to track their genetic evolution and adaptability over time, while providing up-to-date data to the unit modellers team to identify factors that reshape the risk of these NTDs. This will allow for the further development of robust tools for monitoring NTDs and provide national programs with a solid basis for interventions for their sustainable elimination; (ii) the study of host-parasite interactions and their evolution, leading to variations in pathogenicity in response to global changes; and (iii) the application of multi-omics approaches to study parasite-related microbiome dynamics, with the aim of identifying candidate microorganisms that could block transmission, in collaboration with researchers from the experimental infection unit to develop environmentally sound transmission blocking strategies based on endosymbionts.

The chair will expand its activities from Montpellier to the countries of the global South, especially in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and even Southeast Asia, with partners already known to Intertryp (JEAI “ENVY” in Mexico, JEAI “RECIT” Guinea, GDRI-South “TROUVE” in Cameroon,) and possibly with new international partners and global health research platforms. Emphasis will be placed on strengthening the links between science and society, while promoting the integration of research results and evidence into public policy and health care practices to address NTDs.

• Teaching objectives

INTERTRYP is involved in graduate training and masters in Eco-epidemiology/ Public Health/ Bioinformatics at the University of Montpellier and in a dozen other universities in France and in the world, as well as capacity building through workshops focusing on students and local professionals from developing countries. The chair will participate in these courses and contribute to the development of teaching on population genetics, vector ecology, genomics, bioinformatics and biostatistics. He/she will promote these training courses through the IRD network and its contacts in the countries of the South to strengthen local capacities for monitoring vector-borne diseases. He/she will offer training activities in the South, and will mentor students in their Master’s internships, co-supervision of doctoral programs.

• Who are we?

The IRD/CIRAD/University of Montpellier Joint Research Unit “Intertryp” is a unit composed of about 50 researchers, engineers, technicians and students dedicated to “One Health” research activities on NTDs such as sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, or Chagas disease, that affect the most vulnerable populations.

Our research aims to improve monitoring tools adapted to local control and elimination contexts, knowledge on bio-ecology and vector control (tsetse, triatomines, tabanids and stomoxes, sandflies) with tools accessible to the most vulnerable communities and if possible not impacting the environment.

The recruitment of a researcher specialized in these topics is a priority for the unit, to ensure a transition with current experts in genomics and population genetics. This recruitment, which will strengthen the cross-cutting nature of the UMR, will not only make it possible to boost and sustain interdisciplinary projects, but also raise these themes to a higher level, both in the countries of the North and the South.

Intertryp is a WHO collaborating centre (FRA-137) for research on HAT, and several Intertryp researchers are members of WHO expert committees, FAO, and WOAH, involved in defining the criteria for validation and verification of the elimination of these diseases, which are the targets of the WHO 2030 roadmap on NTDs.

• Scientific excellence of the candidate, shown by high level publications as 1st author;
• Quality, originality and interdisciplinarity of the research and teaching project and its southern component, in line with the mandate and activities of IRD and UMR Intertryp, with a strong motivation to work in mobility in the countries of the South;
• Relevance and structuring effect of the project for the UMR, and for the North and South partnerships of the Unit;
• Ability to provide scientific and pedagogical supervision, sense of teamwork and interpersonal skills;
• Motivation, adaptability, autonomy, proactivity, sense of organization.

Specific Requirements

• PhD, preferably in the field of population genetics/omics or ecology and population dynamics;
• Having completed at least 2 years of post-doctoral experience will be a plus;
• Being able to publish and speak English is mandatory, Spanish will be a plus.
• Skills in population genetics, genomics and bioinformatics applied to natural populations, preferably insects;
• Experience in monitoring populations on the field, including the establishment of sampling plans; skills in insect ecology would be a plus;
• Willingness to work with partners from latin America, Africa or Asia

Additional Information

Eligibility criteria

Candidates must fulfil one of the following criteria:

• hold a doctorate as provided in article L.612-7 of the French Education Code;
• hold a PhD or doctoral level of education;
• hold a doctorate in engineering;
• hold a study and research diploma in computer science, GIS;
• hold a study and research diploma in remote sensing;
• hold an overseas university degree considered equivalent to the above-mentioned diplomas; in this case, applicants should submit an equivalence reques;
• show proof of qualifications or scientific work considered equivalent to the above-mentioned diplomas; in this case, applicants should submit an equivalence request.

For the equivalence request - (refer to the file available on the platform « Démarches Addulact »).

Selection process

Applications must be submitted online at: https://demarches.adullact.org/commencer/ird-chaires-de-professeur-junior-2025-f-h byJuly 02, 2025at 11:59 p.m.(metropolitan France time). Applications will be assessed by a committee comprising IRD members and external experts. Candidates pre-selected by the committee will be invited for interview. Interviews will last for one hour, and will be conducted physically if possible, or remotely by video-conference.

The recruitment date for the chair is set for December 1, 2025.