PhD interdisciplinary position on the genetic determinants of motor specialization

Job Description

Thesis Subject

Although all skeletal muscles share a basic design, muscles are specialized to meet distinct functional demands such as posture, locomotion, breathing and speech. Our visual experience depends on the activity of extraocular muscles (EOMs), the most specialized muscle group in the mammalian body. EOM activity span the entire mammalian motor repertoire: they enable ballistic gaze shifts (up to 40° in 100 ms) but also generate slow, compensatory movements to prevent motion blur during head or environmental motion and even sustained eye fixations. A fundamental question remains unanswered: How can a single muscle group reconcile such diverse motor demands?
The proposed PhD project aims to understand how genetic and structural muscle specialization shape specialised contractile outputs. Recent unpublished work from the Comai group using single-nuclear multiome sequencing has identified several parallel genetic programs in EOMs, leading to the hypothesis that each of them generate muscle fibres specialised for distinct oculomotor demands. The oculomotor system is an ideal model for this question: it encompasses the full range of mammalian motor demands yet operates in a geometrically simple 2D space, making it uniquely tractable for quantitative modeling.

The candidate will integrate quantitative 3D histology and tissue biomechanics, oculomotor behavioral tests in mutant mice, and mathematical modeling, to develop a predictive multiscale framework linking muscle structure to coordinated motor outputs. By establishing how tissue architecture constrains oculomotor performance, this work will transform not only our understanding of the oculomotor system but also provide a generalizable framework for interrogating complex neuromuscular systems.

References:
Robinson, D. A quantitative analysis of extraocular muscle cooperation and squint.
Investigative ophthalmology. Invest Ophthalmol. 1975 Nov;14(11):801-25.
Stahl JS. Using eye movements to assess brain function in mice. Vision Res. 2004 Dec;44(28):3401-10. doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2004.09.011. PMID: 15536008.
Caillet H et al. Hill-Type Models of Skeletal Muscle and Neuromuscular Actuators: A Systematic Review. IEEE Rev. Biomed. Eng. PP, 1–23 (2025).
Comai G, Tajbakhsh S. A Global, and Orbital, View of Extraocular Muscles. P. A. D'Amore, Ed., Encyclopedia of the Eye (2nd edition) (2024)pp. 322–346.

Your Work Environment

This fully-funded 80 PRIME PhD fellowship (CNRS MITI) offers a rare interdisciplinary training experience at the intersection of muscle biology, systems neuroscience, and applied mathematics.
The PhD will be completed under the direction of Dr. Glenda Comai (coordinator), head of the newly-formed team “Integrative Neuromuscular systems” at the Paris Saclay Institute of Neurosciences (NeuroPSI). The project will be carried out in close interaction with Dr. Guy Bouvier, head of SensoMotion lab at NeuroPSI and expert in oculomotor behavior and Dr. Antoine Chaillet, Professor in control theory, Laboratoire Signaux et Systemes at CentraleSupélec.

The candidate is required to enroll in the BIOSIGNE Doctoral School (ED568) as part of his/her PhD studies, and will benefit from its multidisciplinary training offer. We seek highly motivated students with an excellent track record, having graduated a MSc degree (or equivalent) in System neurosciences, Computational Neurosciences, Bioengineering or Biomecanics track. The tasks will include acquisition and analysis of EOM 3D anatomy and ex vivo contractility data, high-speed video oculography and head tracking in mice using deep learning-based pose estimation, and implementation of Hill-type muscle models that capture the fundamental force-generating properties of muscle tissue.
The candidate will acquire a unique combination of skills spanning single-nucleus transcriptomics data analysis, quantitative histology and tissue biomechanics, in vivo mouse oculomotor behavior, and mathematical modeling -- providing an exceptional training ground at the interface of genetics, neurophysiology, and computational biology. We are looking for a candidate with the intellectual curiosity and flexibility to work seamlessly across experimental and computational approaches.

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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