Missions

-The recruited person will contribute to the development of biomonitoring approaches based on the bivalve Dreissena polymorpha, a biological model at the LIEC. This species, representative of all major hydrosystems in Europe and North America, is commonly used as a sentinel species. Biomonitoring approaches are based on both the study of native populations and the transplantation of individuals. On these individuals, a battery of biochemical biomarkers is routinely measured at the individual level. The host team has a significant database from past or ongoing research programs.
The general objective is to refine the interpretation grids of the biomarkers currently measured. Questions are raised, in particular, about the strategies to integrate seasonal and population effects in the analysis of data from passive biomonitoring programs, and about the deconvolution of the effects induced by chemical stress from other stress factors, to assess the health status of organisms (Objective 2 of WP 2.2).

Activities

Three main missions will be entrusted to the recruited person to achieve this objective:
• Analyze the whole biomarker dataset to identify variation ranges and relate them to environmental factors.
• Enrich the database by participating in measurement programs on the Moselle Basin (Objective 1 of WP 2.3).
• Develop field and/or laboratory approaches to define apical measures of organism health (behavior, energy allocation, etc.).

Skills

• Sampling and caging of organisms in the field
• Biochemical dosages of biomarkers (energy reserves, oxidative stress, etc.)
• Respirometry
• Advanced use of statistical tools
• Good knowledge of the national and international context of biomonitoring
• Writing and communication skills

Work Context

EPHemeris - Earth and Planet Habitability, is an IMPACT project funded by Excellence Initiative Lorraine over the period 2024-2028. This project was born from a clear observation: the disturbances we are facing, consequences of human activities, cause rapid changes in the regulatory processes on the surface of our planet at all spatial and temporal scales. This leads to a significant impact on socio-ecosystems, threatening the living as a whole, and thus the sustainability of human societies. The question of the habitability of the Earth, for all the species that currently live there, is then posed.
The general objective of EPHemeris is to study, on different scales of time and space, the events of anthropic origin or not having modified, transitionally or definitively, the conditions of habitability (of the planet, a territory...).

Constraints and risks

The position is available for 13 months, with a rhythm of 35 hours per week, but may also require working hours outside the laboratory's opening hours: evenings, weekends according to experimental needs. Field work, regardless of the weather conditions, will also be necessary.