Job offers

  • Development of mammalian spines

    Closing Date: 31 August 2022

    The LANE laboratory at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) is seeking a creative and highly motivated PostDoc to work on the development of mammalian spines.

    In the context of an international collaboration investigating the development of mammalian spines, we are looking for a Postdoc with strong interest in developmental biology. The goal of the project is to characterise the convergent development of spines in tenrecs and hedgehogs, two spiny mammals belonging to highly-divergent lineages. The successful candidate will interact with a multidisciplinary team of physicists, computer scientists and biologists and will have access to state-of-the-art imaging and wet-lab facilities. The working language of the laboratory is English.

    Reference

    Montandon, Tzika, Martins, Chopard & Milinkovitch (2014) Two waves of anisotropic growth generate enlarged follicles in the spiny mouse EvoDevo

    Qualifications & skills

    • PhD in biology-related sciences within the last five years
    • Candidates should have a strong inner drive, independence, and willingness to work in a highly interdisciplinary team
    • A good level of spoken and written English is essential
    • A background in skin appendages development is preferred, but not required.


    Laboratory. Our projects are interdisciplinary, and aim at understanding the genetic determinism of skin colour patterns (especially in snakes and lizards) but also skin appendages (scales, hair, and spines) in amniotes. Besides standard molecular biology methods, we use confocal and light-sheet microscopy imaging, electron microscopy, mass spectrometry and deep sequencing.

    Environment. The University of Geneva (UNIGE) is highly-renowned for its research and is among the best universities in the world. Geneva is an international city occupying a privileged geographical situation.

    Contact. Interested applicants are invited to send (combined in a single PDF document) a motivation letter with a short statement of research interests, a CV and two references (full address, incl. email and phone number) to: Dr. Athanasia Tzika (athanasia.tzika@unige.ch)

  • Reptilian skin coloration

    Closing Date: 31 August 2022

    The LANE laboratory at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) is seeking a creative and highly motivated PostDoc to work on reptilian skin coloration. The position is funded by an HFSP Research Grant.

    In the context of a highly multidisciplinary study investigating the development of skin colour patterns in snakes and lizards, we are looking for a Postdoc with strong interest in single cell transcriptomics. The goal of the project is to characterise the development of skin coloured cells (chromatophores) using sc RNA seq. The successful candidate will interact with a multidisciplinary team of physicists, computer scientists and biologists and will have access to state-of-the-art imaging and wet-lab facilities. The working language of the laboratory is English.

    References

    Ullate-Agote and Tzika (2021) Characterization of the Leucistic Texas Rat Snake Pantherophis obsoletus Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 

    Ullate-Agote, Burgelin, Debry, Langrez, Montange, Peraldi, Daraspe, Kaessmann, Milinkovitch and Tzika (2020) Genome mapping of a LYST mutation in corn snakes indicates that vertebrate chromatophore vesicles are lysosome-related organelles Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 

    Qualifications & skills

    • PhD in biology-related sciences within the last five years
    • Candidates should have a strong inner drive, independence, and willingness to work in a highly interdisciplinary team
    • A good level of spoken and written English is essential
    • A background in single-cell transcriptomics is preferred, but not required. 
    • Programming experience in Python and R is a plus


    LaboratoryThe team’s projects are interdisciplinary, and aim at understanding the genetic determinism of skin colour patterns (especially in snakes and lizards) but also skin appendages (scales, hair, and spines) in amniotes. Besides standard molecular biology methods, we use confocal and light-sheet microscopy imaging, electron microscopy, mass spectrometry and deep sequencing.

    Environment. The University of Geneva (UNIGE) is highly-renowned for its research and is among the best universities in the world. Geneva is an international city occupying a privileged geographical situation.

    Contact. Interested applicants are invited to send (combined in a single PDF document) a motivation letter with a short statement of research interests, a CV and two references (full address, incl. email and phone number) to: Dr. Athanasia Tzika (athanasia.tzika@unige.ch).

  • Mathematical modelling of skin pattern formation in the corn snake

    In the context of highly multidisciplinary studies investigating the development of skin colour patterns in the corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus), we are seeking creative and highly motivated students with a background in physics or applied mathematics to investigate physical models of pattern formation in a multicellular biological tissue. The model will be used to understand pattern variation on the skin of the corn snake. The successful candidates will interact with a multidisciplinary team of physicists, computer scientists and biologists and will be trained in theoretical physics applied to biological systems.

    References

    The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis by A. M. Turing
    Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B, 237, 641: 37-72 (1952) 

    Genome mapping of a LYST mutation in corn snakes indicates that vertebrate chromatophore vesicles are lysosome-related organelles
    PNAS 117, 42 : 26307-26317 (2020)

    A Living Mesoscopic Cellular Automaton Made of Skin Scales
    Nature 544, 7649 : 173–179 (2017)

    Patterning and growth control in vivo by an engineered GFP gradient
    Science, 370(6514), 321-327 (2020)

    Links

    https://genev.unige.ch/research/laboratory/guillaume-salbreux
    https://genev.unige.ch/research/laboratory/Michel-Milinkovitch - https://www.lanevol.org

    Contact

    Contact Dr. Athanasia C. Tzika (athanasia [dot] tzika [at] unige.ch) for details.

    Full document

  • Mapping mutations affecting skin colour traits in the leopard geckos

    In the context of highly multidisciplinary studies investigating the development of skin colour patterns in the leopard geckos, we are seeking creative and highly motivated students with strong interest in molecular developmental biology to assist in mapping leopard gecko colour and colour pattern traits. The successful candidates will interact with a multidisciplinary team of physicists, computer scientists and biologists and will be trained in state-of-the-art imaging techniques and molecular developmental approaches.

    Contact Dr. Athanasia C. Tzika (athanasia [dot] tzika [at] unige.ch) for details.

  • Modelling variation & complexity of animal forms

    In the context of highly multidisciplinary studies investigating the development of skin appendages (project 1) and skin colour patterns (project 2) in vertebrates, we are seeking creative and highly motivated students with strong interests and skills in mathematical modelling and numerical simulations of physical processes (reaction-diffusion, mechanics, …). The successful candidates will interact with a  multidisciplinary team of physicists, computer scientists and biologists (the latter using state-of-the-art imaging techniques and molecular developmental approaches).

    Contact Prof. Michel C. Milinkovitch (michel [dot] milinkovitch [at] unige.ch) for details.

    Full document

  • Mapping mutations affecting skin colour traits in the corn snake

    In the context of highly multidisciplinary studies investigating the development of skin colour patterns in the corn snake, we are seeking creative and highly motivated students with strong interest in molecular developmental biology to assist in mapping corn snake colour and colour pattern traits. The successful candidates will interact with a multidisciplinary team of physicists, computer scientists and biologists and will be trained in state-of-the-art imaging techniques and molecular developmental approaches.

    Contact Dr. Athanasia C. Tzika (athanasia [dot] tzika [at] unige.ch) for details.

    Full document

  • Two positions for 3D Technical Artists / Engineers at the University of Geneva (Switzerland)

    Description

    The Milinkovitch Lab (LANE) and the Biology Section of the University of Geneva are each seeking for a 3D Technical Artist / Engineer passionate about VR, game engines, high-end 3D ultra-realistic computer graphics and immersive UXs. One of the two successful candidates will integrate the Centre for Visual Immersion (CVI). The mission of the CVI is to provide and develop tools for an improved understanding of complex 3D datasets through immersive (and interactive) data visualisation. The Centre features state of the art Virtual Reality (VR) and Natural User Interfaces (NUIs) Hardware, High-End Visualization Softwares and a 6 Channel CAVE Immersive Projection System for real-time rendering of complex datasets and live 3D streaming from high-performance microscopes.

    The other successful candidate will integrate the multidisciplinary research team of the LANE (www.lanevol.org) and participate to several innovative scientific data visualisation projects at the interface of maths, physics and developmental biology.

    In both cases, we are looking for multi-talented 3D TECHNICAL Artists/Engineers motivated to develop VR/AR experiences as well as Immersive Data Visualization Applications to support research activities and to communicate results and research achievements in biology and physics to university students and the general public. Join our team of top biologists, computer scientists, physicists, and mathematicians to create tomorrow’s Immersive Data Visualization applications with high-end rendering and innovative interaction capabilities.

    The University of Geneva (UNIGE) is highly-renowned for its research and is among the top 1% best universities in the world. Geneva is an international city occupying a privileged geographical situation.

    Responsibilities

    • Collaborate with top Scientists to advance the 3D Reconstruction Workflow from Imagery devices and Microscopes to Immersive Visualization;
    • Envision, create and integrate 3D content for multiple projects at varying stages of development, ranging from rapid prototyping to ultra-realistic visualization and interactive applications illustrating biological structures and processes;
    • Provide innovative visualization tools and renderings for scientific publications and presentations;
    • Track and manage 3D content across multiple engines and media;
    • Seamline workflow solutions and pipelines across multiple engines and media.

    Requirements

    • Understanding of the state of the art in real-time rendering and ambition to produce ultra-realistic 3D contents (models, textures, shaders) while addressing unique technical challenges;
    • 3+ years of industry experience in the area of expertise, with a portfolio / reel of relevant work;
    • Proficient with at least one major 3D modelling package such as Maya, Blender, 3ds Max, or Houdini;
    • Excellent knowledge of Unreal Engine;
    • Knowledge of the various aspects in real-time content production pipelines (mesh modelling and optimization, PBR materials, lighting, environment, post processing) as well as point-cloud and mesh processing, surface reconstruction;
    • Strong attention to detail, good communication skills, and a proactive nature;
    • Bachelor’s (or higher) in fine arts, game design, digital media, or computer science or equivalent industry experience;
    • Proficiency in English;
    • Candidates with 3+ years of industry experience in the area of expertise will be favoured. A portfolio / reel of relevant work is mandatory.

    Recommended Qualifications

    • Proficiency in procedural content generation
    • Good coding skills (C#, C++, Python, etc.)
    • Experience with Rigging and Animation techniques (Inverse Kinematics, Forward Kinematics, Procedural animation etc.)
    • Experience in UI / UX design for interactive experiences
    • Experience in VFX production (Creatures, ZivaVFX etc.)
    • Knowledge of French is a plus for the CVI position.

    Applications should be submitted to Michel Milinkovitch or via https://jobs.unige.ch/www/wd_portal.show_job?p_web_site_id=1&p_web_page_id=55754