open positions
Postdoctoral fellow – Reptilian skin coloration
Closing Date: 31 August 2022
The LANE laboratory at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) is seeking a creative and highly motivated PostDoc to work on reptilian skin coloration. The position is funded by an HFSP Research Grant.
In the context of a highly multidisciplinary study investigating the development of skin colour patterns in snakes and lizards, we are looking for a Postdoc with strong interest in single cell transcriptomics. The goal of the project is to characterise the development of skin coloured cells (chromatophores) using sc RNA seq. The successful candidate will interact with a multidisciplinary team of physicists, computer scientists and biologists and will have access to state-of-the-art imaging and wet-lab facilities. The working language of the laboratory is English.
References
Ullate-Agote and Tzika (2021) Characterization of the Leucistic Texas Rat Snake Pantherophis obsoletus Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Ullate-Agote, Burgelin, Debry, Langrez, Montange, Peraldi, Daraspe, Kaessmann, Milinkovitch and Tzika (2020) Genome mapping of a LYST mutation in corn snakes indicates that vertebrate chromatophore vesicles are lysosome-related organelles Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
Qualifications & skills
- PhD in biology-related sciences within the last five years
- Candidates should have a strong inner drive, independence, and willingness to work in a highly interdisciplinary team
- A good level of spoken and written English is essential
- A background in single-cell transcriptomics is preferred, but not required.
- Programming experience in Python and R is a plus
Laboratory. The team’s projects are interdisciplinary, and aim at understanding the genetic determinism of skin colour patterns (especially in snakes and lizards) but also skin appendages (scales, hair, and spines) in amniotes. Besides standard molecular biology methods, we use confocal and light-sheet microscopy imaging, electron microscopy, mass spectrometry and deep sequencing.
Environment. The University of Geneva (UNIGE) is highly-renowned for its research and is among the best universities in the world. Geneva is an international city occupying a privileged geographical situation.
Contact. Interested applicants are invited to send (combined in a single PDF document) a motivation letter with a short statement of research interests, a CV and two references (full address, incl. email and phone number) to: Dr. Athanasia Tzika (athanasia.tzika@unige.ch)
Postdoctoral fellow – Development of mammalian spines
Closing Date: 31 August 2022
The LANE laboratory at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) is seeking a creative and highly motivated PostDoc to work on the development of mammalian spines.
In the context of an international collaboration investigating the development of mammalian spines, we are looking for a Postdoc with strong interest in developmental biology. The goal of the project is to characterise the convergent development of spines in tenrecs and hedgehogs, two spiny mammals belonging to highly-divergent lineages. The successful candidate will interact with a multidisciplinary team of physicists, computer scientists and biologists and will have access to state-of-the-art imaging and wet-lab facilities. The working language of the laboratory is English.
Reference
Montandon, Tzika, Martins, Chopard & Milinkovitch (2014) Two waves of anisotropic growth generate enlarged follicles in the spiny mouse EvoDevo
Qualifications & skills
- PhD in biology-related sciences within the last five years
- Candidates should have a strong inner drive, independence, and willingness to work in a highly interdisciplinary team
- A good level of spoken and written English is essential
- A background in skin appendages development is preferred, but not required.
Laboratory. Our projects are interdisciplinary, and aim at understanding the genetic determinism of skin colour patterns (especially in snakes and lizards) but also skin appendages (scales, hair, and spines) in amniotes. Besides standard molecular biology methods, we use confocal and light-sheet microscopy imaging, electron microscopy, mass spectrometry and deep sequencing.
Environment. The University of Geneva (UNIGE) is highly-renowned for its research and is among the best universities in the world. Geneva is an international city occupying a privileged geographical situation.
Contact. Interested applicants are invited to send (combined in a single PDF document) a motivation letter with a short statement of research interests, a CV and two references (full address, incl. email and phone number) to: Dr. Athanasia Tzika (athanasia.tzika@unige.ch).
Master position – Mapping mutations affecting skin colour traits in the corn snake
In the context of highly multidisciplinary studies investigating the development of skin colour patterns in the corn snake, we are seeking creative and highly motivated students with strong interest in molecular developmental biology to assist in mapping corn snake colour and colour pattern traits. The successful candidates will interact with a multidisciplinary team of physicists, computer scientists and biologists and will be trained in state-of-the-art imaging techniques and molecular developmental approaches.
Contact Dr. Athanasia C. Tzika (athanasia [dot] tzika [at] unige.ch) for details.
Master position – Modelling variation & complexity of animal forms
In the context of highly multidisciplinary studies investigating the development of skin appendages (project 1) and skin colour patterns (project 2) in vertebrates, we are seeking creative and highly motivated students with strong interests and skills in mathematical modelling and numerical simulations of physical processes (reaction-diffusion, mechanics, …). The successful candidates will interact with a multidisciplinary team of physicists, computer scientists and biologists (the latter using state-of-the-art imaging techniques and molecular developmental approaches).
Contact Prof. Michel C. Milinkovitch (michel [dot] milinkovitch [at] unige.ch) for details.
Master position – Mapping mutations affecting skin colour traits in the leopard geckos
In the context of highly multidisciplinary studies investigating the development of skin colour patterns in the leopard geckos, we are seeking creative and highly motivated students with strong interest in molecular developmental biology to assist in mapping leopard gecko colour and colour pattern traits. The successful candidates will interact with a multidisciplinary team of physicists, computer scientists and biologists and will be trained in state-of-the-art imaging techniques and molecular developmental approaches.
Contact Dr. Athanasia C. Tzika (athanasia [dot] tzika [at] unige.ch) for details.
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.