Position:
A 2 year, ANR-funded post-doctoral position (with a possibility of extension for up to 4y total) is open starting November 2022-January 2023 to study novel pathways of immune-brain interactions using tools of neuroscience, immunology and scRNA-seq at the Brain-Immune Communication (Deczkowska) Lab https://research.pasteur.fr/en/team/brain-immune-communication/ in collaboration with Microenvironment and Immunity (Eberl) lab.
The science:
The brain is very hard to cure. Drugs have a hard time crossing the blood-brain barrier and if they do – the side effects of their activity in such a fragile environment may be disastrous. Our lab strives to describe and uncover an alternative approach to brain treatment. We study how peripheral signals, such as immune cells present at the brain borders, shape brain physiology, how the dysfunction of such communication pathways can contribute to brain aging or disease, and how we can exploit such pathways to cure the brain. We especially explore the immune niche of the choroid plexus (one of the brain borders), and the roles and signatures of microglia and border associated macrophages (Baruch, Deczkowska et al., Science, 2014; Schwartz & Deczkowska, TrendsImmune, 2016; A Deczkowska, O Matcovitch-Natan et al, Nat.Comms. 2017; Deczkowska et al., Nat.Neurosci. 2018; Deczkowska et al., Cell. 2018, 2020). The work includes single cell RNA-seq approaches, spatial transcriptomics, state of the art tools of immunology and neuroscience (incl. behavioral tests), mouse models, lots of genomic data and more!
The ANR-funded project will investigate the choroid plexus as the central site of communication between the peripheral immune and microbial signals and the brain in early post-natal development. Since the question is very broad – the answer is unpredictable. We are looking for a candidate who is ready to lead the project independently and collaborate across disciplines.
The Environment:
The Deczkowska lab opened in April 2021 and currently hosts a research engineer (lab manager), two post-docs, a bioinformatician, a visiting scientist, two students and an administrative assistant.
The Institut Pasteur is recognized worldwide as a leader in the field of immunology and neuroscience, it is a highly dynamic and international academic environment in the center of Paris. Research here covers a wide-range of subjects including microbiology and infectious diseases, immunology, neuroscience, developmental biology, genetics and cancer. Our lab is in the immunology building and we benefit from collaboration with other departments (especially neuroscience) and access to various state-of-the-art platforms such as single cell analysis, bioinformatics, flow cytometry, animal facilities, microscopy, etc.
Candidate requirements:
Candidates should have a PhD with strong background in immunology and/or neuroscience, molecular biology, cell biology, genetic engineering, genomics (scRNA-sequencing) and technical expertise in murine models (MUST) and cell culture. Previous experience with genomics and/or microbiome research would be especially relevant for this project. Applicants should be highly motivated, well-organized, proficient in English, and able to work independently as well as collaboratively.
Application:
Applicants should send a CV and a letter of motivation including a summary of previous research experience directly to Aleks (aleksandra.deczkowska@pasteur.fr).