The Ecology and Ecosystem Health Research Unit at INRA/Agrocampus Ouest, Rennes, France invites applications for a one-year Postdoctoral Position in evolutionary toxicology. The hired postdoctoral fellow willdevelop a proteogenomic approach to investigate evolutionary factors affecting the response to chemical stress in a hermaphrodite organism used as model in ecotoxicology (pondsnail, Lymnaea stagnalis). Experimental lines exposed to a pro-oxidant or to benign conditions and maintained through selfing or outcrossing will be used to test hypotheses on putative mechanisms involved in molecular adaptation: transcriptional plasticity and signal transduction vs selective processes, influence of selfing on short-term response to selection. The post-doc will  be part of a larger project which has also a socio-economic scope, as it will provide data useful to fine-tune methods for ecological risk assessment and chemicals regulation, e.g., through the incorporation of high-resolution molecular biomarkers into OECD-supported advanced tools (see Adverse Outcome Pathway knowledge base, for molecular screening and toxicogenomics).

Lymnaea stagnalis 

Required profile: doctor (PhD) in toxicogenomics or in molecular ecotoxicology/stress ecology, with maximum 3 years of experience after thesis defense. An international experience in research is required (during or after Doctorate). Candidates must not have supported their thesis in the hiring institution (INRA) and not previously worked in the host research unit (UMR ESE).

The ideal candidate would have strong skills in bioinformatics, analysis of transcriptomic and proteomic data, a keen interest in environmental and eco-evolutionary issues, and should be willing to work as part of an ecology team.

The project is led by the team EPIX, whose research is focused on Evolutionary Ecology of Systems Perturbed by Biological Invasions and Xenobiotics. It will be conducted in collaboration with Dr Jean Armengaud, CEA, Laboratoire Innovations technologiques pour la Détection et le Diagnostic and with the Aquatic Ecology and Ecotoxicology Experimental Unit at INRA, Rennes, France.

Fundings : CNRS Ec2Co (Ecosphère Continentale et Côtière), Bretagne-Loire University, INRA.

Informal questions can be addressed to marie-agnes.coutellec@inra.fr

Applicants should send the following documents by email to marie-agnes.coutellec@inra.fr and copied to  UBL recherche@u-bretagneloire.fr:

1. short CV and a covering letter showing your interest and especially addressing your professional project,
2. a list of your major works (2 pages max.): scientific publications, patents and others scientific productions,
3. two letters of recommendation,
4. a copy of your PhD diploma.

The general selection process is described here.