PhD position (M/F): Transgenerational phenotypic plasticity of sublethal insecticide effects in[...]

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

Résumé du poste

A leading research laboratory in France is seeking a PhD candidate to study the transgenerational impacts of insecticides using Drosophila melanogaster. This position requires a solid background in evolutionary ecology and skills in experimental planning, laboratory experiments, and data analysis. The role offers a supportive work environment with teleworking options and professional training opportunities.

Prestations

Teleworking options

Company restaurant

Transportation cost reimbursement

44 days of vacation/RTT

Financial contribution to health insurance

Qualifications

• Candidates must have skills in experimental planning and conducting laboratory experiments.
• Experience in insect rearing and data analysis is required.
• Strong background in evolutionary ecology is essential.

Responsabilités

• Conduct research on transgenerational effects of insecticides.
• Utilize Drosophila melanogaster for evolutionary studies.
• Plan and perform laboratory experiments.

Connaissances

Evolutionary ecology

Experimental planning

Laboratory experiments

Behavioral monitoring

Insect rearing

Data analysis

Formation

Solid background in evolutionary ecology

Description du poste

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Organisation/Company CNRS Department Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive Research Field Biological sciences Environmental science Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Country France Application Deadline 19 Aug 2025 - 23:59 (UTC) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 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

The thesis will be carried out at the Biometry and Evolutionary Biology Laboratory (LBBE, UMR CNRS, UCBL VAS, 5558), located on the LyonTech La Doua university campus. The LBBE has extensive expertise and resources for breeding and experimenting with Drosophila, as well as in statistics, which guarantee the feasibility of the project. The project will also benefit from the technical support of the laboratory (S. Martinez, G Gueffier, and C. Mermet) for breeding and phenotyping.
Supervision will include weekly face-to-face meetings with the two co-supervisors. The frequency of these meetings will be reassessed during the PhD as needed. In addition, ad hoc meetings will also be organized when necessary with colleagues from the CASPER laboratory at ANSES in Lyon who are collaborating on the project.
Our little extras:
• A stimulating work environment in contact with research staff
• Professional support with internal training at the laboratory
• The possibility of teleworking
• A company restaurant offering lunch at an attractive price.
• Partial reimbursement of transportation costs (75%)
+ sustainable mobility allowance of up to €300/year
• A site accessible by public transportation (Tram T1 + T4 + bus)
• 44 days of vacation/RTT per year
• Financial contribution to health insurance costs

Insecticides represent a major selection pressure for insect populations, to which organisms can respond through mutation-selection processes, but also through plastic changes in phenology, morphology, physiology or behavior. Phenotypic plasticity (PP) is defined as the ability of a genotype to produce different phenotypes as a function of environmental conditions. Although PP is by definition a source of phenotypic variability, questions remain as to its relative importance in evolutionary processes. One of the ways in which PP can facilitate evolution, and probably the most controversial, is through transmission mechanisms other than DNA, such as epigenetic mechanisms, resulting in transgenerational plasticity (TGP). TGP is a change in offspring phenotype that is triggered by an environmental cue in the parental generation without involving genetic modification in the offspring. TGP is therefore based on a form of non-genetic inheritance that includes the maternal effects already well described in the literature, as well as cultural transmission and learning. But TGP goes much further, incorporating the environmental effects experienced by both parents, and sometimes even by grandparents or more distant ancestors. The existence of TGP is no longer disputed, but many questions remain, notably about its adaptive value and stability over generations, as relatively few studies to date have focused on TGP persistence over more than two generations.The aim of this project is to study the transgenerational impact of insecticides in a model species through the study of various morphological and behavioral traits, and the dynamics of TGP over generations.
To this end, we propose to use the experimental power offered by Drosophila melanogaster, a model species in physiology, developmental biology and genetics, to explore TGP in response to insecticides. We will use a protocol that allows us to disentangle the genetic and non-genetic contribution to the heritability of phenotypic variance. This species can also be considered as a sentinel species, representative of insect species exposed to contaminants in most agroecosystems such as the Drosophila sp. community and the related pest species D. suzukii, but observations can probably be generalized to other arthropods. The study of transgenerational impacts of insecticides is still little taken into account in insecticide risk assessment; this thesis will partly fill this gap.
We are looking for a candidate with a solid background in evolutionary ecology, skills in experimental planning, conducting laboratory experiments (behavioral monitoring, phenotyping), insect rearing and data analysis will be required.