PhD position to study transcription cluster organization by imaging

UNIL is a leading international teaching and research institution, with over 5,000 employees and 17,000 students split between its Dorigny campus, CHUV and Epalinges. As an employer, UNIL encourages excellence, individual recognition and responsibility.

Prof. Nadine Vastenhouw and her group at the Center for Integrative Genomics at UNIL (https://www.vastenhouwlab.org) are now seeking a PhD student with a background in any of the life sciences, to work on an ERC-funded project related to nuclear organization and transcription regulation.

There is accumulating evidence for a new gene expression paradigm, in which genes and transcription factors cooperate to create specialized transcription bodies. While these bodies have gained a lot of interest in recent years, they are generally hard to study because they are small, abundant, and short-lived. A few years ago, we discovered that in zebrafish embryos, transcription begins in two transcription bodies that are large, isolated, and long-lived (Hilbert et al., 2021). These provide us with an excellent system to investigate how transcription bodies form (Kuznetsova et al., 2023; Chabot et al., 2024) and what their role is in transcription regulation (Ugolini et al., 2024). The aim of this project is to understand the organization in time and space of transcription bodies using advanced microscopy (single molecule tracking, confocal imaging and spectroscopy, spinning disk) and data analysis methods to look at proteins, RNA and specific genes. As form often informs function, we expect that this will clarify how transcription bodies work and how their dynamics can affect transcription.

Some relevant publications

Hilbert et al., Nature Communications 2021

Kuznetsova et al., Current Biology 2023

Ugolini et al., Nature Cell Biology 2024

Chabot et al., bioRXiv 2024

Expected start date in position: as soon as possible

Contract length: 1 year, renewable, max 4 years

Activity rate: 100%

Workplace: University of Lausanne, Dorigny campus

Most of your time will be dedicated to research, but you may also be involved in teaching activities (e.g. practical class preparation, literature reading classes, Master project supervision).

- A Masters degree in any of the life sciences

- Interest in transcription regulation, nuclear organization, quantitative biology

- Experience with imaging approaches and quantitative analysis are a plus

- Excellent scientific writing, communication, interpersonal skills

You will be supervised by Prof. Nadine Vastenhouw, in a diverse, dynamic, and international research laboratory. You will work on your independent project but there is ample intellectual and technical expertise in the lab to make sure you are well-supported. The working language is English.

The Center for Integrative Genomics encompasses 15 research labs investigating diverse fields related to functional genomics and offers state-of-the-art experimental facilities. Beyond the training in the host laboratory, numerous possibilities exist at UNIL for further professional education and career development.

Informal requests for further information can be made by email to:

Write an email

To apply, you must upload as a single PDF document:

• A CV, including the names of 3 referees
• A motivation letter in English describing your past research experience and your scientific interests, and how they are a good match for the host laboratory.

Deadline: 1.10.24

Only applications through the University of Lausanne job portal will be taken into account.

UNIL is committed to equal opportunities and diversity.
www.unil.ch/egalite

UNIL supports early career researchers.
www.unil.ch/graduatecampus