PhD STUDENT Position in the field of Mammalian Neurodevelopment

The mammalian cerebral cortex plays key roles in cognition, sensory and motor functions, and the control of our emotions. The proper execution of these tasks depends on a long process of embryonic and postnatal development which relies on the production by neural stem cells of the appropriate number of neurons with proper identities that migrate to their specific location and make connections with each other. Defective signaling pathways during development are the cause for many human brain diseases. The goal of our studies is to better define the mechanisms involved in neural cell proliferation, migration and differentiation in order to understand how the brain is built and learn how to treat devastating brain diseases.

We are using an interdisciplinary approach including, but not restricted to: protein interaction studies, alteration of signaling pathways in vivo, cell culture (cell lines and primary cultures), luciferase assay, histology, organotypic tissue culture assay, RT-qPCR profiling of translating mRNAs.

The starting date is October 1^st , 2024. Salary is determined according to standard Belgian regulations. Funding is dependent on the successful application by the applicant for a 4-years fellowship from the FNRS-FRIA.

The Laboratory of Mammalian Development and Cell Biology (https://uclouvain.be/fr/instituts-recherche/ions/cemo/mammalian-development-and-cell-biology.html), headed by Dr Yves Jossin, is offering a PhD position. The research team is located at the Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS) of the University of Louvain Medical School (UCL, Belgium) situated on the Brussels campus. The University of Louvain is more than 500 years old and has a strong research tradition and a strong international reputation both in terms of basic and applied research as well as teaching.

The candidate should have a Master’s degree in a relevant field. Knowledge in molecular and cellular biology is required. Experience in the field of neurodevelopment is an asset but is not mandatory. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively either in English or in French.