Description du sujet de thèse

This doctoral thesis project is part of the PAPALIM program – Biological and societal impacts of the food transition in Papua New Guinea. The PAPALIM project framework: Our food is at the interface between our biology and our society. This balance, inherited from thousands of years of co-evolution, is currently undergoing a profound transition under the influence of climate change and industrialization. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in developing countries, impacting the health and social structure of these populations. In this respect, Papua New Guinea (PNG) is an exceptional case, being one of the few cradles of agriculture in human history, relying on unique biodiversity and having nourished a population of unparalleled cultural and biological diversity for millennia. But today, PNG, one of the poorest countries in the world, is experiencing rapid acculturation and an increase in malnutrition-related diseases. The PAPALIM project adopts a decidedly interdisciplinary approach, combining the complementary expertise in human genetics and microbiology of the CRBE (UT3) with that in nutritional anthropology and sociology of the CERTOP (UT2). Its objectives are: (i) to explore the biological and societal interactions between the populations of Papua New Guinea and their traditional diet; (ii) to characterize the impact of the dietary transition on the health and socialization of these populations; and (iii) to propose a biocultural synthesis of the relationships between these populations and their diets, thereby informing the country's public health policies. The PAPALIM project is central to the three thematic pillars of TIRIS, with the ambition of uniting key research areas present at the Toulouse site, within the framework of two doctoral theses, in order to foster a new network of multidisciplinary scientific expertise on the diets of developing countries. PAPALIM offers two doctoral fellowships that will be conducted concurrently. This project will investigate the biological mechanisms of interactions between the human genome, microbiome, and diet, using the exceptional biodiversity of Papua New Guinea (PNG) as a case study. PNG is home to one of the world's richest floral diversity collections, which has been used as a primary food source by populations for 50,000 years. How has diet shaped the microbiome and the human genome in PNG? To what extent might the recent shift to an urban diet lead to maladaptations? The PhD candidate will study the genomes, microbiomes, and diets of 300 rural individuals from two different regions of PNG (highlands/lowlands) and 50 urban individuals from PNG. The PhD candidate will identify genetic variants and microbial taxa adapted to the PNG diet and characterize the influence of urban diets. This doctoral project adopts a multidisciplinary approach, combining population genetics, functional genomics, microbiology, health, and the anthropology of food, says the doctoral candidate, who was recruited to the center of an international network of expertise. Given current environmental changes and rapid urbanization, the doctoral project will yield important discoveries concerning sustainable food systems and will propose a framework that can be applied to other populations in tropical regions.

Contexte de travail

This doctoral project is registered with the SEVAB doctoral school (Ecological, Veterinary, Agronomic, and Bioengineering Sciences) at the University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier. The doctoral candidate will be co-supervised by Dr. François-Xavier Ricaut and Dr. Nicolas Brucato of the CRBE laboratory (UMR5300, Toulouse). Within the framework of the PAPALIM program funded by TIRIS Scaling-Up, the thesis will be conducted in collaboration with a doctoral candidate in Food Anthropology supervised by Dr. Anne Dupuy and Dr. Jean-Pierre Poulain of CERTOP (UMR5044), University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès. Research progress will be monitored through weekly meetings between the doctoral candidate and the thesis supervisors. These meetings will occasionally include other team members (postdoctoral researchers, Master's students). Bioinformatic analyses will be carried out in interaction with team members, particularly at the beginning of the project.

Contraintes et risques

The position is based in Toulouse and the contract is for a period of 3 years. A valid driver's license (category B) is required. Travel to Papua New Guinea and Malaysia is planned as part of the research. Should fieldwork in Papua New Guinea become impossible (due to political instability or Covid-19), anthropological and biological data will be collected by our local collaborators. To ensure the best possible start to both PhD projects, preliminary biological (n = 100 oral genomes and microbiomes) and anthropological (n = 100 questionnaires) data are already available. The fieldwork experience in Papua New Guinea of ​​the CRBE project leaders, the expertise and complementary skills of the team (CRBE-CERTOP-CAM-UPNG), and the existing data will guarantee the project's success.

Informations complémentaires

The funding comes from the TIRIS Scaling Up program (SIGAPPEC project 307647)