Call for Applications for a Doctoral Position 2025-2028 - ENvironment, BIOlogical mechanisms an[...]

Call for Applications for a Doctoral Position - ENvironment, BIOlogical mechanisms and CARdio-renal health: focus on heart failure (ENBIO-CARE)

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) represent a major global public health challenge. Nutrition, especially the consumption of ultra‑processed foods (UPFs), plays a central role. High UPF consumption has been associated with numerous cardio‑renal and metabolic risk factors, yet the biological mechanisms linking UPFs to cardio‑renal health remain poorly understood. This project will investigate both the environmental determinants of UPF consumption and the pathways through which UPFs influence cardio‑renal health, with a focus on heart failure, using multidisciplinary methods that integrate spatial econometrics, advanced biostatistics, machine learning, and network analyses.

Research Framework

This doctoral project is part of the interdisciplinary program LIFE TRAVEL and the Initiative d’Excellence Lorraine. It will combine information on multiple health determinants with geographical characteristics collected at different life stages, enabling exploration of life trajectories across children and adults within longitudinal cohorts, including the STANISLAS cohort.

Objectives of the Doctoral Project

This PhD project aims to better understand the role of ultra‑processed foods in cardio‑renal health through an integrated environment‑nutrition‑biology approach. The objectives are:

• To explore the influence of physical environments on UPF consumption and cardio‑renal health, studying proximity to natural spaces, fast‑food outlets, and supermarkets.
• To identify the biological mechanisms linking UPF consumption to cardio‑renal health by combining lipidomics, systems biology, and the study of compounds derived from UPFs (trans fatty acids, PFAS).
• To further investigate the link between UPFs and heart failure by analysing fibrosis biomarkers and lipid profiles at different stages of heart failure.

Supervision and Research Environment

Nicolas Girerd is a cardiologist and coordinator of the Multidisciplinary Clinical Investigation Center (CIC‑P), specialising in the mechanisms underlying cardiovascular diseases, particularly heart failure.

Sandra Wagner is a researcher in epidemiology at the CIC‑P, Nancy University Hospital, investigating the impact of nutrition on cardiovascular and renal health.

Youba Ndiaye is an Associate Professor in Economics at the University of Lorraine, focusing on environmental economics and spatial econometrics.

The PhD will be jointly conducted between the BETA research unit and the CIC‑P.

Partners

The CaRMeN Laboratory (lipid research) will provide expertise for the project.

Proposed PhD Topic – Research Axes

Axis 1: Exploring the Influence of Physical Environments

Accessibility to food retailers and environmental amenities will be assessed via geocoded residential addresses, distance, density, and structural indices using Two‑Step Floating Catchment Area methods. Associations with UPF consumption and cardio‑renal health will be examined using statistical and econometric analyses. Machine learning approaches (Random Forest and XGBoost) will model non‑linear relationships and identify key environmental determinants.

Axis 2: Identifying Biological Mechanisms

• Lipid signatures (blood concentrations of fatty acids and sphingolipids) and their associations with cardio‑renal health.
• Proteomic signatures (Olink technology – 460 proteins) combined with network analyses to investigate biological pathways.
• Specific blood compounds generated during UPF synthesis or from packaging materials, their evolution over 20 years, and associations with cardio‑renal health.

Axis 3: Investigating the Link Between UPFs and Heart Failure

Association analyses will be conducted between UPF consumption, fibrosis biomarkers, and predictive indicators of heart failure across its stages, from the general population to advanced heart failure patients.

Candidate Profile

Required Degree

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics applied to Life Sciences, or Economic Sciences.

Expected Scientific Skills

• Good command of statistical tools (R or Python).
• Strong background in statistics or epidemiology.
• Knowledge in nutrition appreciated.
• Prior experience with cohort data analysis.

Languages

• Working languages: French and English.

Additional Qualities

• Scientific curiosity and enthusiasm for research.
• Autonomy, rigor, and organisational skills.
• Analytical and synthesis abilities, with strong oral communication skills.
• Team spirit and ability to work within a hierarchical structure.
• Scientific writing skills in both French and English.

Contract Conditions

• Duration: 36 months.
• Starting date: from October 2026.
• Salary: €2,300 gross monthly salary (net salary: approximately less than 20% deductions from gross salary).
• Doctoral enrollment: BIOSE Doctoral School – University of Lorraine.

Funding for this PhD project has already been secured.

Application Procedure

Required documents:

• CV.
• Master’s transcripts.
• Master’s thesis or scientific article.

Submission format: PDF only.

The application deadline is 14 June :59 (CET). Interviews are scheduled for the week of 15 June 2026 and results will be announced on 22 June 2026.