Chrono
Join a cohort of 12 doctoral researchers in ChronoBridge, a European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network. The programme connects biological clocks, physiology and metabolism through international collaboration.
Host and supervision
The position is supervised by Dr Ganna Panasyuk in the Nutrient Sensing Mechanisms laboratory at the Institut Necker Enfants Malades (INEM), Université Paris Cité (Paris, France). The laboratory studies how cells sense nutrients and adjust their metabolism and gene activity, and how changes in these signalling mechanisms contribute to disease.
You will receive regular supervision, advice from senior researchers, quarterly meetings with an independent advisor, an annual committee review and support from a non-academic mentor. A local co-supervisor will guide each research visit.
Research project
Cells must constantly match their gene activity and metabolism to the nutrients available. Class 3 PI3K (PI3K-3), the evolutionarily ancient VPS34-VPS15 lipid kinase complex, is best known for controlling membrane trafficking and autophagy. Our laboratory discovered that PI3K-3 also works in the nucleus, where it acts on chromatin as a co-activator of the circadian clock and epigenetic writers for controlling metabolic gene programs (Nature Cell Biology 2023, 2026). How a nutrient-sensing complex reaches chromatin, which partners and genes it controls, and how this nuclear activity shapes organelle function and cell metabolism remain open questions.
This project will dissect how nuclear PI3K-3 works and connect it to the metabolism of organelles, cells and the liver.
Your research will involve:
- Mapping where PI3K-3 binds the genome and how chromatin marks and transcription respond to nutrient supply over the feeding–fasting cycles.
- Identifying the transcription factors, chromatin regulators and gene networks that work with nuclear PI3K-3, and validating key targets with genome-engineering and reporter approaches.
- Developing tools to deplete PI3K-3 acutely and selectively from the nucleus, to separate its nuclear functions from its cytoplasmic ones.
- Linking nuclear PI3K-3 programmes to organelle function (e.g. mitochondria, lysosomes) and metabolism in liver cells, in mice under nutritional interventions and in human liver samples.
You will combine chromatin biology, functional genomics, cell biology and metabolism, working alongside the DC3 researcher, who studies how liver PI3K-3 signals act on other organs. The project aims to reveal how a nutrient sensor in the nucleus links gene regulation to metabolism, with relevance to metabolic and liver disease.
Suggested profile
- A completed Master’s degree, or equivalent, in molecular biology, genetics, epigenetics, biochemistry or a related discipline.
- Interest in gene regulation, chromatin and how cells adapt to nutrients. Previous laboratory or data-analysis experience is expected; experience in molecular or cell biology, genomics or bioinformatics is an advantage. Specialist training will be provided.
- Scientific curiosity, critical thinking, careful research practice and enthusiasm for collaboration across Europe.
Skills you will develop
- Gain hands-on expertise in chromatin profiling, genome engineering, functional genomics and cell metabolism.
- Formulate hypotheses and design rigorous experiments or analyses.
- Interpret results critically and solve research problems.
- Write scientific papers and present findings clearly.
- Manage projects and collaborate across disciplines and countries.
- Apply research ethics and reproducible methods.
Planned research visits
Research visits to Helmholtz Munich, EPFL, TUM and the University of Cambridge total approximately 2.5 months. They provide complementary methods, international collaboration and local supervision. See the ChronoBridge “Training & network” page for mobility information.
Allowance
This is a full-time position as a doctoral researcher.
Remuneration follows the recruiting institution’s applicable salary arrangements and MSCA funding requirements.
The grant supports eligible personal and family circumstances. Your employer will explain salary, allowances and deductions.
Eligibility
Candidates of any nationality may apply, provided they:
Do not hold a doctoral degree or have successfully defended a doctoral thesis at recruitment.
Meet the doctoral programme’s admission requirements.
Have not lived or mainly worked or studied in France for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately before recruitment, subject to defined exceptions.
Have professional English, with evidence assessed by the recruiting institution.
See “Who can Apply?” on the ChronoBridge “How to Apply” page for the detailed criteria and exceptions.
Network training
You will benefit from at least 100 hours of scientific and transferable-skills training, three years of Nature Masterclasses access, network congresses, workshops, online clubs and an individual career-development plan. The programme offers connections with academic, industry and clinical partners. See “Training & network” for the full programme and practical arrangements.