Two Joint Master Internship Positions: Deciphering Marine Stress Response through Multi-Omics and AI, Nice, France
Background required: Bioinformatics or Chemoinformatics and Biology or Chemistry
Location: IRCAN & Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France.
Duration: 6 months (earliest start: January 2026)
The IRCAN (Dr. Eric Röttinger) and HolobiomicsLab CNRS (Dr. Louis-Felix Nothias) at Université Côte d'Azur are recruiting two Master 2 students for the METASTRESS project, an interdisciplinary initiative investigating exceptional stress resistance in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. This collaborative program combines marine biology expertise with AI-driven metabolomics to understand how these organisms survive extreme conditions (4-35°C temperatures, prolonged starvation, intense radiation) that would be lethal to most animals—insights that could transform our understanding of aging and environmental adaptation.
The Collaborative Framework: Both students will be integrated into dynamic research teams comprising PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and permanent staff. At IRCAN, you'll work alongside the marine invertebrate facility team and bioinformatics service, while at HolobiomicsLab, you'll collaborate with three PhD students specializing in AI for mass spectrometry, a postdoc in knowledge-graph exploration, and a CNRS research engineer in chemoinformatics. Regular joint meetings between both labs will ensure seamless integration of biological and computational approaches, with mentorship from experienced team members facilitating skill transfer and professional development.
Position 1 - Molecular Biology/Functional Genomics (IRCAN): Lead temperature stress experiments on N. vectensis, prepare samples for transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses, perform phenotypic assessments (cellular imaging, behavioral assays), and validate AI-generated hypotheses using pharmacological inhibitors. You'll work closely with the ANTIAGE facility team and collaborate with the ICN student to integrate multi-omics data. Requirements: strong experimental skills in molecular biology, interest in marine organisms, ability to work independently and in teams.
Position 2 - Chemoinformatics/AI (HolobiomicsLab): Adapt the MetaboLinkAI multi-agent framework for transcriptomics-metabolomics integration, develop natural language interfaces for intuitive data exploration, and implement AI-assisted hypothesis generation tools. Working within a team pioneering AI applications in metabolomics, you'll have access to state-of-the-art Orbitrap mass spectrometers and the Azzura supercomputer. See https://holobiomicslab.cnrs.fr & https://metabolinkai.net.
What We Offer: This unique opportunity provides hands-on interdisciplinary training at the intersection of marine biology, multi-omics, and artificial intelligence. You'll contribute to developing an AI framework that will make complex molecular data accessible to the broader scientific community while generating insights into fundamental stress-response mechanisms. The project offers excellent potential for high-impact publications and pathways to PhD positions in either lab.
Application: Send CV, cover letter, transcripts to eric.rottinger@univ-
