A two-years post-doctoral fellow position is available at the Laboratory
of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science (_http://www.jouy.inra.fr/
unites/miaj/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=184
<http://www.jouy.inra.fr/%20unites/miaj/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=184>_)
at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research
(_http://www.international.inra.fr/_).
The successful candidate will be expected to work on a funded project
developing a computational model of the bovine trophoblast morphogenesis
which is capable of explaining the growth and pattern formation observed
in the developmental processes.
The trophoblast is the first epithelium which appears at the beginning
of embryogenesis in mammals. It forms the wall of the blastocyst, and
aids implantation in the uterine wall. We are interested in the early
development of the trophoblast: a temporal window of 15 days from the
blastocyst stage to the uterine implantation, during which the
trophoblast floats in the uterine liquid, and undertakes extremely fast
growth and elongation. This period of early morphogenesis is fundamental
for the harmonious development of the embryo. Disturbances would lead to
many embryonic losses and contribute, after birth, to the formation of
chronic diseases of metabolic origins such as obesity, diabetes,
arterial hypertension, etc. Research engaged on the dynamics of
molecular, cellular and tissue interactions during this period enabled
us to propose some assumptions about the origins of these disturbances.
However, the complexity of the organization and the multiplicity of the
interactions between different compartments make the research extremely
difficult if only carried out in experimental ways. Data obtained are
usually partial, static and descriptive. We thus seek to develop an
integrative approach, with which the system can be apprehended in a
global way: with taking into account of components interactions, with
integration of various levels of observation (molecular, cellular and
tissue), and according to various points of view (physical, biochemical,
genetic). The method will be based on models studied in population
dynamics to represent cellular migration and proliferation, from
continium physics to determine chemical substance production, transport
and consummation. Basic optimization techniques may be explored to
identify the parameters of the obtained models, and sensitivity analysis
will be considered to analyze their singular behaviors. Our development
will be based on a spiral process with frequent swing between
computational modeling and experimental verification: a) start from a
spherical blastocyst, and determine the form genesis sequentially
observed during the elongation: ovoid, tubular and filamentous; b)
integrate embryonic and uterine components as possible sources of
control and physical constraints leading to the observed forms; c)
incorporate the available genetic knowledge; The results obtained will
be validated with /in vivo/ data, and will be used as support to
formulate new hypotheses on precise and experimentally verifiable
biological questions such as, i) test the role of embryonic tissues to
regulate the morphogenesis by deleting these tissues at various stages
of the developmental process; ii) exploit the role of the uterus to
control the elongation by targeted analysis of the gene networks
observed at the same times in the embryonic and uterine compartments.
The post-doctoral fellow will also play an integral role in ongoing
collaborations with leading scientists on embryonic development and
biomedical engineering.
Applicants should have a PhD degree relevant to mathematical, physical,
or biomedical modeling. The applicant must be highly motivated.
Technical skills in applied mathematics (PDE, Numerical Analysis) and
programming are required. A background in biology is a plus, but not
required. The base salary is 2150 euros per month. Further information
including the research context may be obtained from :
Juhui.Wang at jouy.inra.fr. Applications close 31st July 2006, but the
effective start date for this position can be negotiated. To apply,
please fill the application form
(http://www.inra.fr/drh/postdocs2006/dossier-de-candidature-postdocs-2006.doc)
and send it par email to: mia at toulouse.inra.fr with cc:
Juhui.Wang at jouy.inra.fr
--
Juhui WANG Email: juhui.wang at jouy.inra.fr
INRA - Mathématiques et Informatique Appliquées Tel: +(33) 01 34 65 22 29
Domaine de Vilvert Fax: +(33) 01 34 65 22 17
F-78352 Jouy-en-Josas
