PhD Position (M/F) on Biosignature Research for Space Missions

Job Description

Thesis Subject

This project aims to subject terrestrial extremophilic microorganisms to conditions mimicking the internal ocean of Enceladus (a moon of Saturn), observe their development under these conditions, and determine—using advanced analytical chemistry techniques—what detectable effects they have on the chemistry of their environment. This work will expand the known repertoire of chemical indicators suggesting biological activity in extraterrestrial settings and establish the analytical procedures required to identify and distinguish these indicators from abiotic signatures in chemically rich environments.
Mission and Objectives
The PhD candidate will be responsible for mastering microorganism cultivation protocols and adapting them to conduct new experiments under hyperbaric conditions (combining hydrostatic pressure with gas partial pressures: H2:CO2 as substrate and CH4 as product). During these experiments, the candidate will monitor the exometabolome, proteome/transcriptome, and lipidome to identify potential changes—driven by environmental variations—in gene expression, protein production, metabolites released into the medium, and membrane lipid composition.
Once this profile has been established, the final phase of the project will involve identifying specific molecular targets to serve as biomarkers for the strain. After these targets are defined, new experiments will be conducted with increasingly complex abiotic chemical inputs.
This phase of the project will require an in-depth literature review regarding the geochemical conditions of the simulated bodies, primarily Enceladus. Once these new environmental conditions are defined, the candidate will evaluate the suitability of the initial analytical protocols for identifying the selected biomarkers and determine whether the protocols need to be modified. The ultimate goal of the thesis will be to determine the analytical limits for detecting the presence of life in a given environment and to extrapolate these findings to the chemical analysis conditions of space missions—whether involving sample returns or in situ analysis, as the challenges involved differ in each case.

Your Work Environment

The PhD candidate will be supervised by Prof. G. Erauso (MIO) and co-supervised by Prof. G. Danger (PIIM, Marseille), with Dr. A. Bouquet and Dr. V. Grossi serving as co-supervisors. Experiments will be conducted in close collaboration with Dr. A. Carios and Dr. S. Marre (ICBM, Bordeaux). The candidate will work in an interdisciplinary environment requiring a high degree of autonomy and significant commitment to the tasks at hand, which include sample cultivation, chemical analysis, and the associated data processing. This project takes place within a particularly rich research environment as part of the *Institut Origines* in Marseille, which brings together research units focused on the origins of life and astrobiology.

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

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.

CNRS

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