Institut Necker Enfants Malades (INEM) is a biomedical research center located on the Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades campus. It benefits from numerous state-of-the-art core facilities. The Campus has a long-standing reputation for scientific excellence and key pioneering medical contributions (transplantation, biotherapy, gene therapy). It provides a vibrant environment for basic research and translational innovation.

The host laboratory

The host team - Cellular & Membrane Dynamics in Stress Response (Etienne Morel) is part of the Cell Biology Department at Institut Necker Enfants Malades (INEM). Our lab research is focused on molecular and cellular aspects of stress response and autophagy machinery mobilization, including membrane remodeling and trafficking.

The project

Autophagy is a cellular process responding to homeostasis alteration and initiated by the de novo formation of autophagosomes. Autophagosome biogenesis requires a complex sequence of events that allow for the nucleation of the phagophore from the omegasome, a transient and specialized domain of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. These early steps of autophagy are associated with phase transition, phosphoinositides metabolism, membrane contact-sites and local lipid-delivery. Our previous work shows that ER-plasma membrane contact-sites (Nascimbeni et al. EMBO J. 2017) and ER-endosomes interface (Da Graca et al. Life Sci. Alliance 2022) are mobilized for autophagosome biogenesis in response to nutritional stress. This strongly suggests that ER spatial organization is directly connected with pre-autophagic machinery functional activation. While cytoskeletons are known in membrane trafficking, their specific involvement, especially F-actin and intermediate filaments (IFs), in phagophore formation remains unclear. Leveraging our preliminary data and literature insights, our project aims to decipher the cytoskeletons interplay at ER membrane platforms during the early stages of autophagosome biogenesis. 

Your profile

We are seeking a highly motivated and creative candidate (m/f) with a strong drive for independent research. International candidates with a PhD in molecular and cellular biology obtained during the past four years and with a strong background in the fields of membrane trafficking and autophagy are encouraged to apply.

The two-year position is available starting summer 2024.

How to apply

If you possess these attributes and enjoy working with motivated and committed people, we would welcome speaking with you and encourage you to apply today.

We ask you to submit:

• A cover letter describing your research interests, experience, and how you might contribute to Grainger Lab Research.
• An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae.
• A list of 2-3 individuals who have agreed to act as references along with their contact details or 2 reference letters.

Please send your application to Etienne Morel: @email Applications will be considered upon submission with a deadline on March 1, 2024.

Additional information

Key-words: autophagosome biogenesis, membrane remodeling, cytoskeletons, ER

Recent publications from the Morel Lab at the following link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Morel+E&sort=date