We are looking for a young talented researcher to analyse hundreds to thousands of genomes of Bordetella pertussis, the agent of whooping cough, to investigate the following aspects:
- Sublineage emergence and associated genomic features
- Ongoing temporal evolution of B. pertussis and impact of vaccination
- DNA methylation patterns
- Phylogeography, international spread of sublineages
- Impact of the above genome dynamics on the epidemiology of whooping cough
Skills. Strong experience in bioinformatics (unix, scripting, data analysis tools), genomics (Illumina and PacBio data) and microbial population biology is a prerequisite. Experience in Bordetella pathogenesis will be appreciated but is not absolutely required as it will be provided by members of the lab. Innovative thinking, work autonomy and good communication skills are important. English speaking and autonomous manuscript writing skills are also necessary.
Environment. The candidate will work in the Brisse lab (https://research.pasteur.fr/en/team/biodiversity-and-epidemiology-of-bacterial-pathogens/), in collaboration with Simon Cauchemez’s Mathematical Modelling of infectious Diseases lab at Institut Pasteur and with other European pertussis reference labs.
Conditions. The position is funded through the INCEPTION program (https://research.pasteur.fr/en/program_project/inception/). The monthly salary will correspond to the standards in France and will depend on candidate experience. The contract will be for 24 months. The position is available from November 1st, 2018, although starting date can be delayed for a few months if the chosen candidate has agenda constraints.
Application: Please send your application as a single pdf to Sylvain Brisse (sbrisse@pasteur.fr) with a detailed CV, a cover letter and recommendation letters. Deadline October 1st, 2018.