Doctoral position

Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)

Application Deadline: 20 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (UTC)

Country: France

Type of Contract: Temporary

Job Status: Full-time

Hours Per Week: 35

Offer Starting Date: 1 Dec 2026

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The I2BC is a very large joint research unit of the CNRS, CEA, and Université Paris Saclay, established on January 1, 2015. Located at the Gif, Orsay, and Saclay sites, the unit has an average staff of approximately 650 people distributed across 5 scientific departments, 43 research teams, and 17 high-level technology platforms.

The doctoral position is available in the “Structures and Functions of Hybrid Assembly Chains of Natural Products” team, which is part of the Department of Microbiology and consists of one CR-level researcher.

Drug resistance and toxicity highlight the urgent need for new strategies to discover and engineer bioactive natural products. This project aims to determine the molecular mechanism of pyrimidine ring assembly during the biosynthesis of the glycopeptide antibiotic/anticancer drug bleomycin by a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) assembly line. Pyrimidine moieties are essential for the activities of numerous drugs, while the modular architecture of NRPSs makes them attractive platforms for bioengineering. Our project will combine biochemistry, structural biology, and chemical synthesis to define the catalytic mechanisms, structures, and protein-protein interactions responsible for NRPS-mediated pyrimidine formation. By elucidating how specialized NRPS domains cooperate to construct complex heterocycles, we will reveal the molecular basis of their unusual chemistry and the interaction interfaces that govern biosynthetic efficiency. These findings will establish a framework for rational NRPS engineering to produce novel pyrimidine-containing natural products with improved bioactivities, advancing sustainable approaches to combat drug resistance and toxicity.

Where to apply

Website: https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Doctorant/UMR9198-CHROUL1-162/Default.aspx

Requirements

• Research Field: Chemistry
  Education Level: PhD or equivalent
• Research Field: Physics
  Education Level: PhD or equivalent
• Research Field: Biological sciences
  Education Level: PhD or equivalent
• Languages: FRENCH
  Level: Basic
• Research Field: Chemistry
  Years of Research Experience: None
• Research Field: Physics » Biophysics
  Years of Research Experience: None
• Research Field: Biological sciences » Biological engineering
  Years of Research Experience: None

Additional Information

Website for additional job details: https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Doctorant/UMR9198-CHROUL1-162/Default.aspx

Work Location(s)

• Number of offers available: 1
• Company/Institute: Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule
• Country: France
• City: GIF SUR YVETTE

Contact

• City: GIF SUR YVETTE
• Website: http://www.i2bc.paris-saclay.fr