PhD project : Mechanisms controlling astrocyte branch morphogenesis in the visual system of Drosophila (Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France)

Team :  "Visual Circuit Assembly" (Group leader: Iris Salecker)

Funding : 3 years

Anticipated starting date : October 2021

We welcome applications from highly motivated candidates, interested in the topic of Developmental Neurobiology, to join the team of Iris Salecker as a PhD student at the Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS). The Biology Department is part of the PSL University grouping and located in the Quartier Latin in the center of Paris.

Research in our team focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying visual circuit assembly in Drosophila from a neuronal and glial perspective. The aim of this PhD project is to investigate the function of a novel candidate gene mediating astrocyte branch morphogenesis in the second optic ganglion, the medulla. The project will provide training in advanced molecular biology and genetics approaches, including Crispr/Cas9 technologies, as well as microdissections, immunolabeling and imaging using laser confocal and electron microscopy.

The student will join our newly established, interactive team in Paris. We are part of the dynamic Developmental Biology and Neuroscience communities at the IBENS and the  Drosoph'Ile de France" (DIF) research community in Paris.

For further information about the PhD project and research in our group, please visit our IBENS and personal lab websites : https://www.ibens.ens.fr/?rubrique94&lang=en and https://saleckerlab.org/

To apply : Please send a letter of motivation and a detailed CV with contact information of two references to
Iris Salecker (iris.salecker[at]bio.ens.psl.eu).

Application deadline : 31/07/2021 (applications will be considered as they arrive until the position is filled).