Postdoc or IR position: Digital Holography to uncover the physics of bacterial biofilm formation
Organization: Centre de Biologie Structurale (CBS)
Position Information:
Context
Biofilms are complex bacterial communities that are highly resistant to antibiotics and involved in major global health and environmental challenges, including chronic infections, antimicrobial resistance, food safety, and water security. While most bacterial studies focus on free-swimming cells, biofilms represent the dominant lifestyle of bacteria in nature. However, the mechanisms underlying the very first steps of biofilm formation remain poorly understood.
This project aims to uncover the physical mechanisms driving biofilm nucleation by combining advanced imaging approaches, including digital holographic microscopy and lightsheet microscopy, to capture rare initiation events and the associated physiological responses in different microenvironments.
Led by Ashley Nord and funded for five years through the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller award, this new research line is developed within the Physics and Mechanics of Biological Systems team at the Centre de Biologie Structurale. The interdisciplinary and international environment offers expertise in cutting-edge biophysics and microscopy techniques, with strong opportunities for collaboration across research fields including optical microscopy, bioengineering, structural biology, and biophysical modelling.
In this context, the team is looking for strong and motivated candidate to fill one postdoc position or one IR position (both 1 year renewable, multi-year funding) in the group ‘Physics and mechanics of biological systems’ at CBS Montpellier.
Main missions
- Digital inline holography and computational reconstruction of holograms
- Lightsheet microscopy, TIRF microscopy, fluorescent microscopy
- Microscope design and construction
- Machine learning, artificial intelligence
- Image analysis, time series analysis
- Single-molecule biophysics
- Programming
- Wetlab activities and cell/molecular biology (bacteria)
Candidate profile
We seek an outstanding candidate who has (or will soon have) a PhD and who:
- has a strong background in physics, optics, biophysics, or a related discipline;
- has experience or is intimately familiar with digital holography and numerical reconstruction of holograms;
- has experience or is intimately familiar with light sheet microscopy or TIRF microscopy;
- has experience in advanced microscope design and construction;
- has experience or extensive knowledge in machine learning;
- has experience with image analysis, time series analysis, and quantitative data analysis;
- has experience with programming (our lab works primarily in Python);
- either has experience in a wet lab, or is eager to learn to work with bacteria;
- is innovative and enjoys troubleshooting and pushing the limits of custom optical microscopy setups;
- enjoys working in an interdisciplinary environment;
- is creative, enthusiastic, highly motivated, and able to work both independently and as a member of a team.
High level English communication skills are an asset; no knowledge of French is required. We strive for gender and diversity equality, and we welcome applications from all backgrounds.
General information
Location: Montpellier, France
Type of contract: Non-permanent
Workload: Full time
Degree required: PhD or equivalent
Desired experience: 0 – 4 years
Expected starting date: September, 2026
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. There is no deadline.