Functional Interfaces and Predictive Signatures of Sarbecoviruses: From Intra-Host Evolution to Zoonotic Risks

Organisation/Company U1311 Inserm / Université de Caen Normandie Research Field Biological sciences » Biology Environmental science » Ecology Medical sciences Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Leading Researcher (R4) First Stage Researcher (R1) Established Researcher (R3) Application Deadline 30 Aug 2026 - 22:00 (UTC) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 5 Oct 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

This PhD project aims to characterize the evolutionary dynamics of sarbecoviruses and their virus-host

interfaces, building on a longitudinal study spanning over a decade in colonies of Rhinolophus

ferrumequinum bats, as well as experimental, omics, and analytical approaches developed for this study.

By combining genomic and phylogenetic analyses, functional studies targeting innate and adaptive

immune responses, and controlled experiments on virus-cell interactions, the PhD candidate will explore

the mechanisms enabling certain sarbecoviruses to cross species barriers and evolve toward zoonotic-

risk phenotypes. The project is designed in direct continuity with work conducted under the EU MuseCoV

and ANR EmerCoV projects, and closely integrated with a postdoctoral contract dedicated to screening

and functional characterization of bat sarbecoviruses. Ultimately, this integrative approach should

identify evolutionary signatures, to investigate their periodicity and virus-host determinants predictive

of interspecies coronavirus transmission risk.

Candidate profile- Applicants must hold aMaster 2in virology, biological sciences,or a related discipline, withpreferredproven expertise invirology, microbiology, molecular biology, ecology,orbiochemistry.

Proficiency in at leastoneof the following areas is required:

• Molecular biology (PCR, RT-qPCR, cloning, mutagenesis, silencing, NGS library prep, etc.)
• Cell culture (2D lines, explants, organoids)

Additional Information

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available 1 Company/Institute U1311 Inserm / Université de Caen Normandie Country France City Caen