open positions

Physics of biological morphogenesis: Position for a theoretical physicist in Switzerland

We offer several positions for outstanding, highly motivated, and creative theoretical physicists or applied mathematicians, at the postdoc or PhD student level, in the Salbreux group. Projects are at the interface of physics and biology and involve analytical theory, numerical simulations, and data analysis, in close collaboration with experimental groups. The successful candidates will investigate morphogenetic processes and self-organization at the level of cells and tissues in biological systems.

Candidates must have a master degree in physics (for a PhD student position) or a PhD in theoretical physics or a related field (for a postdoctoral position). An expertise in biology is welcome but is not mandatory. The positions are for 3 to 5 years.


The University of Geneva (UNIGE) is world-renowned for its research and is among the top 1% best universities in the world. We offer an attractive research environment and salaries according to swiss standards.

References: Patterning and growth control in vivo by an engineered GFP gradient, Science, 2020; Mechanochemical Crosstalk Produces Cell-Intrinsic Patterning of the Cortex to Orient the Mitotic Spindle, Current Biology, 2020; Tissue curvature and apicobasal mechanical tension imbalance instruct cancer morphogenesis, Nature, 2019; Stability and Roughness of Interfaces in Mechanically Regulated Tissues, Phys Rev Let, 2018, Mechanics of active surfaces, Phys Rev E, 2017; Active dynamics of tissue shear flow, New J. Phys, 2017, The Physical Basis of Coordinated Tissue Spreading in Zebrafish Gastrulation, Dev Cell, 2017.

How to Apply
Candidates must send their application — in the form of a single PDF file including a brief letter of interest, a CV, as well as contact information of two to three persons of reference — to Prof. Guillaume Salbreux.

Position for a theoretical physicist at the university of Geneva

Physics-Based Numerical Simulations of Animal Development & Evolution: Position for a Computer Scientist

In the context of a multidisciplinary study funded by an ERC advanced grant, the Milinkovitch lab offers one position for an outstanding, highly motivated, and creative computer scientist (at the Post-doc level or, possibly, the PhD student level) to investigate the interactions between physical and biological processes that generate and constrain Life’s complexity and diversity. The successful candidate will develop mathematical modelling and high performance physics-based numerical simulations that will require strong programming skills. The position is for 3 to 5 years and must start between September and December 2019. In this academic research position, you will join a multidisciplinary team of physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists and biologists, and you will apply your creative talent to uncover the self-organisational processes that generate complexity during morphogenesis and evolution.

Contact: lane-jobs [at] unige.ch
Full document with requirements for applications
 

Position for a Cell / Developmental Biologist or Biophysicist at the University of Geneva (Switzerland)

In the context of a multidisciplinary study funded by an ERC advanced grant, the Milinkovitch lab offers one position for an outstanding, highly motivated, and creative experimental wet-lab biologist or biophysicist (at the Post-doc level or, possibly, PhD student level) with strong skills in Cell and Developmental Biology as well as experience in Biophysics. The position is for 3 to 5 years and must start between September and December 2019. The successful candidate will use molecular/cell/developmental biology and biophysics methods to investigate (i) how cell proliferation and tissue differentiation are coupled to mechanical tension during scale development in reptiles and birds, and (ii) how geometry of the skin affects reaction diffusion during the development of skin colour patterns in reptiles. These analyses will be performed on new model species (lizards, snakes, crocodiles, birds) already established in the Milinkovitch lab.

Contact: lane-jobs [at] unige.ch
Full document with requirements for applications
 

3D Animations and Interactive Virtual Reality of Animal Development 
and Evolution: Position for a Computer Graphics Scientist in Switzerland


In the context of a multidisciplinary study combining mathematical modelling, physics-based numerical simulations, and biology, we offer one position for an outstanding, highly motivated, and creative computer scientist with Autodesk Maya and Unreal Engine 4 experience to produce animations, ultra-realistic interactive VR applications and educational software for teaching recently-discovered physical and biological processes generating Life’s complexity and diversity. These developments will be targeted to all levels of education and outreach, from the general public to university students to the physics-of-biology academic research community. Good written and verbal communication skills in the English language are mandatory.

Candidates must have a master’s degree in computer science and strong expertise in:
-Development and optimization of ultra-realistic VR graphics in Unreal Engine (and possibly Unity);
-3D modeling, point cloud and mesh processing, surface reconstruction, texturing and animation;
-C/C++ and GPU programming and optimization of 3D graphics rendering.
Interests and skills in artificial life, evolutionary algorithms, deep-learning, neural networks, image processing/analysis, pattern recognition and robotics are useful additional assets. 

Candidates must have a master’s degree in computer science. The position is available at the level of a PhD student position or at the level of Research Scientist (requiring a PhD degree or at least 3 years of professional experience).

The University of Geneva (UNIGE) is world-renowned for its research and is among the top 1% best universities in the world. Research Scientists and PhD students are remunerated according to the standards of UNIGE, which are very generous when compared to other international programs.

Geneva is an international city occupying a privileged geographical situation with its beautiful lake and the close-by Alps.

References: A Living Mesoscopic Cellular Automaton Made of Skin Scales. Nature 544: 173-179 (2017); Bifurcation Analysis of Reaction Diffusion Systems on Arbitrary Surfaces. Bulletin of Mathematical Biology (2017); Photonic Crystals Cause Active Colour Change in Chameleons. Nature Communications 6: 6368 (2015); R2OBBIE-3D, a Fast Robotic High-Resolution System for Quantitative Phenotyping of Surface Geometry and Colour-Texture. PlosOne 10(6): e0126740 (2015) ; Crocodile Head Scales Are Not Developmental Units But Emerge from Physical Cracking. Science 339, 78-81 (2013).

The position description is also available at https://www.lanevol.org/jobs 

How to Apply
Candidates must send their application — in the form of a single PDF file including a brief letter of interest, a CV, as well as contact information (not support letters) of two to three persons of reference — to: Prof. Michel Milinkovitch (michel.Milinkovitch@unige.ch). The position description is also available at https://www.lanevol.org/jobs