PhD student in Biophysics (M/F)
- FTC PhD student / Offer for thesis
- 36 months
- Doctorate
This offer is available in English version
This offer is open to people with a document recognizing their status as a disabled worker.
Offer at a glance
The Unit
Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille
Contract Type
FTC PhD student / Offer for thesis
Working hHours
Full Time
Workplace
13009 MARSEILLE 09
Contract Duration
36 months
Date of Hire
01/01/2027
Remuneration
2300 € gross monthly
Apply Application Deadline : 02 October 2026 23:59
Job Description
Thesis Subject
In Drosophila, approximately 12 hours after puparium formation, the head rapidly everts, moving from inside to outside the body within a few tens of seconds. This spectacular transformation appears to be triggered by a rapid increase in internal pressure within the pupa, but the physical and biological mechanisms that control it remain largely unknown.
The aim of this PhD project will be to understand how changes in pressure drive this extremely rapid three-dimensional reconfiguration of a tissue.
The dynamics of head eversion will be characterized by combining confocal and electron microscopy. These approaches will allow us to quantify changes in tissue shape, curvature, and thickness during eversion. Internal pressure will be measured directly in vivo and related to muscle activity and the dynamics of eversion. The mechanical properties of the tissues will also be measured to determine their role in triggering and controlling the speed of the transformation. Perturbations of muscle activity, together with mutants displaying defects in head eversion, will be used to identify the mechanisms responsible for pressure generation and the physical factors limiting eversion. Finally, the experimental data will be integrated into a biophysical model linking pressure, geometry, and tissue mechanical properties.
Your Work Environment
The research will be carried out at the IBDM (Institute of Developmental Biology of Marseille) within the “Physical approaches to cell dynamics and tissue morphogenesis (PoM)” team, and at IUSTI (University Institute of Industrial Thermal Systems) within the SOFT team. It will be co-supervised by Raphaël Clément (IBDM) and Joël Marthelot (IUSTI).
Located on the Luminy Campus, IBDM comprises approximately 220 permanent staff members, including researchers, faculty members, engineers and technicians, as well as non-permanent staff, including fixed-term contract researchers, postdoctoral researchers, PhD students and interns, distributed across 21 research teams and 11 technical platforms and services. IBDM is a joint research unit under the supervision of CNRS and Aix-Marseille University (AMU), focusing on developmental biology and associated diseases.
As the laboratories comprise members of several nationalities, proficiency in English is essential.
Compensation and benefits
Compensation
2300 € gross monthly
Annual leave and RTT
44 jours
Remote Working practice and compensation
Pratique et indemnisation du TT
Transport
Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€
About the offer
| Offer reference | UMR7288-AMBGUA-025 |
|---|---|
| CN Section(s) / Research Area | Cellular biology, development, evolution-development, reproduction |
About the CNRS
The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.
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