Context and Environment – The TAGC laboratory (Theories and Approaches to Genomic Complexity), is a joint Inserm and Aix-Marseille University research unit located in the Luminy Campus near Marseille (France). We seek to decipher the biological mechanisms involved in the development and the physiology of an organism that, once disrupted, could lead to pathologies such as cancer, cardiomyopathies, infectious disease like malaria, or systemic inflammation.
Over the years, the Network Biology team headed by Christine Brun has developed algorithms and network-based approaches to understand the organization of cellular processes and protein multifunctionality by exploiting molecular interaction networks (protein-protein and protein-RNA). More recently, the team started to investigate how microbes can perturb host cellular functions and modulate health.

Project – The RiPCoN project has been funded for three years by the EU H2020 program (SC1-PHE-CORONAVIRUS-2020). By using interactome profiling and deep-learning, we aim at (i) identifying approved drugs that can be repurposed for the treatment of COVID-19, (ii) improving our knowledge of Coronaviridae biology to anticipate future pandemic.
The successful candidate will be chiefly involved in the analysis and in the interpretation of the coronavirus-human interactomes to identify proteins and cellular processes involved in viral replication and that could represent amenable targets for drug repurposing to treat COVID-19 and other Coronaviridae infections.

Profile – We are looking for candidates with a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics/Computational Biology, or other relevant disciplines, with proven experience in Virology and Data Analysis. Know-how of interaction networks analysis from a topological and functional perspective will be a plus. Candidates should have good skills in Python and/or R programming languages. A good level of English is essential given the international context of the RiPCoN project.

Salary and Contract – Depending on experience, in accordance with the Inserm policy.

Contact – The position is available immediately and will be open until filled. Applicants should contact both Christine Brun (christine-g.brun@inserm.fr) and Andreas Zanzoni (andreas.zanzoni@univ-amu.fr) by sending a motivation letter including a CV with a list of publications (preprints included) and the contact information of at least two referees.