Job ID: 117889
Postdoctoral position: Microglia and synaptic plasticity, omics approach
Position: Post-doctoral Position
Deadline: 15 March 2024
Employment Start Date: 20 May 2024
Contract Length: 18 months
City: PARIS
Country: France
Institution: INSERM, Sorbonne Université
Department: Institut du Fer à Moulin - Team Serotonin, Microglia, Plasticity and Pathologies
Description:
We have an open position for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow or Research Engineer to take on an exciting project on the role of microglia in synaptic plasticity (funding 18 months)
Background: Microglia are kown regulators of circuits formation during neurodevelopment, but recent studies unraveled that microglia can also regulate synaptic plasticity in adulthood. Mechanisms remain elusive, but we recently showed that microglia express receptors for the neuromodulator serotonin, which is known to modulate circuit formation during development and synaptic plasticity in adulthood. This suggests that the action of microglia could depend of the serotonergic tone around. Consistently, we observed that abrogating the control of microglia by 5-HT impairs developmental synaptic refinement and innate behaviors (PMID37217677). The postdoc will be in charge of developing large-scale transcriptomic approaches combined with behavioral experiments, to explore if similar mechanisms are at play in adultood when microglia are engaged during memory formation. The aim is to unravel new mechanisms by which microglia regulate synaptic plasticity, and which could be challenged in pathological conditions where the serotonergic tone is altered.
Location and scientific environment: Research will take place at the Institut du Fer à Moulin (IFM), a dynamic Neuroscience research institute affiliated to INSERM & Sorbonne Université, located in the center of Paris. IFM hosts 7 teams and common facilities (imaging, IPSc, behavioral phenotyping…), all sharing a deep interest in understanding the etiology and risk factors of neurodevelopmental and adult psychiatric disorders. The Team “Serotonin, Microglia, Plasticity and Pathologies”, co-leaded by A. Roumier and C. Le Magueresse, comprises 8-10 people, use approaches from molecule to behavior, and is particularly interested in the role of neuro-immune interactions in normal and pathological brain development and function.
Applicant’s profile: we are looking for applicants who are creative, self-driven, with team spirit, and with expertise in:
– mouse studies
– transcriptomic analyses.
The position is funded for 1,5 years and can start early 2024. Applications to more fundings will be encouraged.
Applications will be considered until the position is filled.
Contact: To apply, please send CV, publication list, a concise cover letter with description of skills and experience, and contact details of at least two referees to Anne Roumier anne.roumier@inserm.fr +33 1 45 87 61 23
We are looking forward reading you!