We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced postdoctoral fellow to join our research team at the Institute Jean Pierre Bourgin for Plant Sciences and the laboratory Quantitative Genetics and Evolution – Le Moulon (GQE), located in the southern vicinity of Paris. The successful candidate will be part of the vibrant scientific environment of the Saclay Plant Science (SPS) community and will collaborate closely with researchers from the Institute for Plant Sciences – Paris Saclay (IPS2).
Project Overview
The ANR project ‘EDIn’ aims to investigate the functional consequences of DNA exchanges between homoeologous chromosomes (HEs) in the allotetraploid plant species Brassica napus (oilseed rape). Despite their significant role in the evolutionary and agronomic success of many allopolyploid plants, the full range of functional diversity generated by these variants has yet to be evaluated. The postdoctoral fellow will analyze datasets obtained from a population of near-isogenic lines (NILs) that differ in HEs across their genomes, using cutting-edge multi-omics methodologies, including mRNA-seq, small RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and more. The main goals are (i) to establish relationships between structural variation diversity (HEs) and phenotypic diversity; (ii) to characterize the impact of HEs on gene regulatory networks, which would represent the first in-depth analysis of this kind for an allopolyploid crop; and (iii) to evaluate the specific value of HEs in creating de novo functional diversity, which could be at the origin of the success of allopolyploidy in plants, and that could be used in varietal improvement.
Responsibilities
The postdoctoral fellow will:
- Annotate all the HEs in the NIL population in detail.
- Analyze and integrate multi-omics datasets to identify functional alterations, from gene regulatory networks to plant phenotypes.
- Establish a causal link between some specific HEs and the observed phenotypic changes.
- Co-supervise a PhD student project investigating the impact of HEs on small RNAs and the gene expression profiles.
Requirements
We are seeking a candidate with:
- A PhD in genomics or evolutionary genomics
- Strong experience in bioinformatics and genome analysis and awareness of the FAIR principles of data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable)
- Experience of, or strong interest in, working with plants
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, particularly in English
- The ability to work independently and collaboratively with other researchers, as well as the appetite to supervise PhD students
- Proficiency in programming languages such as Bash, Python, and R
Work Environment
- Duration: 24 months
- Full-time, 38.5 hours per week, with the possibility of teleworking
- Salary: as an IR postdoctoral fellow, according to INRAE’s salary scale and experience in the field
- Resources available: laptop and calculation servers
- Starting date: November 1st, 2025 (flexible)
Application
Interested candidates should send the following:
- A cover letter with a brief statement of their research interests and qualifications (maximum 1 page)
- A curriculum vitae, including a list of publications
- Contact information for two referees to both eric.jenczewski@inrae.fr and karine.alix@inrae.fr. Please feel free to contact us for further information.
- Application deadline: September 26th, 2025