Research Engineer in Experimental Optics & Microscopy

The Institut Fresnel is a research state laboratory based in Marseille / France, devoted to research in optics and related topics. The Mosaic team of the Institut Fresnel gathers physicists and biologists seeking to recruit talented, enthusiastic young scientists who are highly motivated to boost their research career in the areas of in biophotonics and related technologies.

The successful candidate will be part of an emerging project carried out at the Institut Fresnel under the supervision of Guillaume Baffou (physicist, Institut Fresnel, Marseille) and Long-Fei Wu (biologist, LCB, Marseille) with the funding of an Amidex Grant.

Research program

Magnetotactic bacteria have the unique capacity of aligning and swimming alone the geomagnetic field lines, a behavior referred to as magnetotaxis. Interestingly, we recently discovered that some species of magnetotactic bacteria react to the UV-blue light illumination by changing their motion's direction.  The mechanism of this photosensitive magnetotaxis is unknown.

The first task of the program will be to build a microscope with specific features: apart from its ability to image living cells, it will be designed to apply a magnetic field on the sample using a coil and illuminate the sample with a wide range of wavelengths.

The second task of the project will be to use this microscope for the study of magnetotactic bacteria with the aim to better understand the underlying mechanism of their light-driven magnetotaxis.

Required qualification / Eligibility

• To apply for the job, candidates must hold an internationally-recognized PhD degree in Physics or Engineering.
• Experience in a scientific project involving imaging in cell biology will be considered as an asset, albeit not mandatory.
• No restrictions of citizenship apply.

Terms of employment – PhD fellowship

The position is intended as full-time (38 hrs / week, 12 months / year) appointment under CNRS contract. The contract is offered for two years. The selected candidate will work under close supervision of Guillaume Baffou to mount the microscope at the Fresnel institute, with a strong interaction with Long-Fei Wu for the biology part.

The call will remain open until positions are filled.

Web Links

http://guillaume.baffou.com

http://www.fresnel.fr/mosaichttp://lcb.cnrs-mrs.fr/spip.php?article87