What do bacterial cells do when they are not growing? Although bacteria in the wild likely spend the majority of their time in non-growing states, surprisingly little is known about cell physiology and gene expression in such states, especially at the single-cell level. However, recently developed experimental approaches that combine microfluidics with fluorescent time-lapse microscopy and automated image analysis are now making it possible to study with high quantitative accuracy the behavior of single cells in non-growing states, such as stationary phase.

Are you fascinated by this topic? Then consider applying to the open postdoctoral position in our group at the Biozentrum (Basel, Switzerland). This research project is spearheaded by Dr. Thomas Julou, in the group of Prof. Erik van Nimwegen.

In our lab, we have developed novel approaches to quantitatively track growth and gene expression dynamics across many independent lineages of single bacterial cells while they are being exposed to controlled environmental changes [1, 2]. We are using these methods to study questions about both physiological and evolutionary aspects of stationary phase, including: What is the extent and dynamics of single-cell heterogeneity during stationary phase, and how does this heterogeneity affect survival, stress-resistance, and the ability of cells to regrow when exposed to new nutrients? How do the physiological states of the cells depend on their previous growth state or on the type of nutrient that is depleted? Are there evolutionary trade-off(s) between optimization of growth, survival during starvation, and efficient regrowth upon encountering new nutrients?

Your position

You will combine experimental techniques from molecular biology, genetics, light microscopy, microfluidics, with cutting-edge data analysis and modelling techniques. Notably, depending on your expertise, the analysis and modeling may be done in collaboration with theoretical researchers in the lab. The project will be tailored to the interests and skills of the successful candidate, and will take several recent results obtained in our group as a starting point [3].

Your profile

Applicants should have completed a Ph D in a relevant field such as biophysics, quantitative biology, microbiology, or evolution. Previous experience with microscopy and microfluidics is of value. The candidate should have at least some experience with programming for data analysis, and/or with mathematical modelling.

We offer you

The position is initially for two years, but may be extended upon mutual agreement. The position is available immediately and priority will be given to candidates that can start relatively soon.

Application / Contact

Please apply online at https://biped.biozentrum.unibas.ch/apply/postdoc-quantitative-biology-non-growing-bacteria
The application should include a brief personal statement, explaining how your qualifications and experience make you a good fit for this position, together with a full, up-to-date CV and contact details of at least 2 references. Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled. Note that only online applications via this portal will be accepted. For general inquiries please send an email to thomas.julou@unibas.ch.

The van Nimwegen Lab [4] at Basel University's Biozentrum is a highly international and multidisciplinary team with extensive expertise in the field of transcription regulation, single-cell dynamics, genome evolution, and probabilistic data analysis techniques. A special feature of our group is that it includes both experimental and theoretical researchers which work together to combine cutting edge statistical and computational tools with quantitative experiments. A list of our group's publications can be found on Google Scholar [5].

[1] 1. M. Kaiser, et al., Nat Commun. 9, 212 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02505-0
[2] T. Julou, et al., PLo S Biol. 18, e3000952 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000952
[3] T. Gervais, et al. bio Rxiv (2024). https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.02.29.582700
[4] http://www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/nimwegen/
[5] http://scholar.google.ch/citations?user=N24KB1w AAAAJ