PostDoctoral Position : Image-Based Drug Screening Against Bacterial Pathogens

EPFL, Switzerland

Updated: about 12 hours ago

EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, is one of the most dynamic university campuses in Europe and ranks among the top 20 universities worldwide. The EPFL employs more than 6,500 people supporting the three main missions of the institutions: education, research and innovation. The EPFL campus offers an exceptional working environment at the heart of a community of more than 18,500 people, including over 14,000 students and 4,000 researchers from more than 120 different countries.


PostDoctoral Position : Image-Based Drug Screening Against Bacterial Pathogens

Mission

A postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Prof. Alex Persat (EPFL School of Life Sciences, https://www.p-lab.science/ ) to establish a new image-based drug screening platform targeting gram-negative pathogens (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The project will combine single-cell/single-bacterium imaging approaches with the lab's tissue-engineered infection models to identify and characterize compounds active against these priority pathogens.


Main duties and responsibilities
  • Design and build a microscopy-based phenotypic screening pipeline (live imaging, high-content, single-cell resolution) to assay compound activity
  • Develop imaging assays capable of distinguishing mechanism of action (e.g. growth inhibition, biofilm/attachment disruption, membrane integrity)
  • Develop or adapt image analysis and quantification pipelines with AI support to handle screen-scale data
  • Follow up on screening hits to identify their molecular target or mechanism of action (e.g. via genetic, chemical-biology, or biophysical approaches), with support from other lab members' expertise in microbiology and drug discovery
  • Collaborate with the lab's discovery and design efforts (natural products, AI-enabled molecular design) to feed prioritized targets and hits back into upstream design
  • Apply the pipeline to screens in both standard culture and, in collaboration with other lab members, the group's organoid/tissue-engineered infection models (airway, gut) to prioritize physiologically relevant hits
  • Co-supervise PhD students and contribute to method development, data management, and grant reporting

Profile
  • PhD in microbiology, biophysics, bioengineering, or a related field (completed or near completion) with at least a first author publication.
  • Hands-on experience with quantitative microscopy (live-cell imaging, high-content screening, or single-cell/single-bacterium imaging)
  • Comfort with image analysis pipelines and scripting (Python), experience integrating ML-based image analysis is a plus but not required
  • Interest in working across the interface of imaging, microbiology, and drug discovery

We offer
  • The opportunity to build a new screening platform from the ground up, with significant ownership over pipeline design
  • Access to the lab's existing imaging/biophysics infrastructure and tissue-engineered infection model systems
  • Integration within the NCCR AntiResist consortium, with access to a broad network of AMR-focused groups across Switzerland
  • Competitive salary (see EPFL postdoc salary scale)
  • Support for independent fellowship applications (EMBO, HFSP, MSCA) where relevant

Informations

Applicants should submit

  • A cover letter (PDF, up to 2 pages) describing research interests, achievements and fit
  • A CV with publication list
  • Contact details for 3 referees

Additional information

  • Contract start date: negotiable
  • For informal inquiries, contact: [email protected]
  • Applications accepted only through the EPFL careers portal

 

Activity Rate : 100.00 

Contract Type: CDD

Duration: 1 year, renewable 

Reference: 2441 


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