POST-DOCTORAL POSITION – INNATE IMMUNE MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH VIRAL PERSISTENCE IN THE HUMAN TESTIS

Starting date /duration /location: January 2022 / Position funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) for up to 30 months /Team UrGenT, IRSET-Inserm U1085, Rennes, France.

OFFER: We offer a postdoctoral position in a multidisciplinary environment that will provide opportunities for impactful research. As part of an ANR funded-research project, the recruited candidate will develop researches on the mechanisms responsible for the establishment of viral reservoirs in the testis, focusing on emerging viruses such as Zika virus and other arboviruses. The project will build on state-of-the-art methodology including single-cell RNAseq combined with unique human tissue culture, and you will have access to newly generated genomic data. Since this is a collaborative project, you will interact with several world-class researchers at Institut Pasteur in Paris and Geneva University. You will enjoy a large degree of autonomy to organize your work. The institute will support the career development of candidate who will demonstrate their ability to successfully lead research.


ENVIRONMENT: The INSERM team UrGenT (40 people) headed by Nathalie Dejucq-Rainsford offers a dynamic research environment to study viral infections and innate immunity in the genital tract. It is part of IRSET (INSERM U1085/ EHESP/University of Rennes, www.irset.org), a multi-disciplinary research center that comprises about 300 research staff (molecular biologists, immunologists, virologists, toxicologists, epidemiologists…) dedicated to the study of biological processes and environmental factors that affect human health. The UrGenT team combines cellular and molecular biology with genomic and bio-informatics (e.g. single-cell RNAseq) approaches to study the impact of environmental factors on the development and physiology of the human uro-genital tract. Thanks to its unique expertise and know-how in ex vivo models of human tissues, the UrGenT team is a renowned leader in the field of viral infections and genomics of the human genital tract. Rennes is the capital city of Britany, located 1h30 from Paris by train, and has been rated
best French city for quality of life.


PROFILE REQUIRED:
The applicants must hold a PhD and have a proven record of accomplishment. They should have a strong background in virology/innate immunity, with expertise in cell/tissue culture, virology, molecular and cell biology techniques. Candidates must be ready to work outside office hours and handle human samples in Cat3 lab. The candidate should be highly driven, have excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, along with interpersonal skills, independent thinking and problem solving skills. Proven ability to meet deadlines is essential. The candidate will assume a leading role in the project, which involves a team encompassing several multidisciplinary members (virologists/ physiologists/ genomists/IT; researchers, engineers and PhD students) and external collaborators.


HOW TO APPLY: Applicants should e-mail a cover letter and a detailed CV including publication list and contact details for at least two referees to Nathalie.dejucq-rainsford@inserm.fr

RECENT PUBLICATIONS OF THE TEAM RELATED TO THE POSITION:
* Mahé et al, Lancet Infectious Diseases 2020: Long-term Zika virus infection of non-sperm cells in
the semen of infected men.
* Le Tortorec et al, Physiological Reviews 2020 : From Ancient to Emerging Infections: The Odyssey
of Viruses in the Male Genital Tract.
* Matusali et al, Journal of Clinical Investigations 2018 : Zika virus infects human testicular tissue and germ cells.