Postdoctoral Position in Human Evolutionary Genomics, Immunogenomics and Functional Genomics Université Paris Cité in France

Université Paris Cité is offering a 24-month postdoctoral position in Paris at the interface of human evolutionary genomics, immunogenomics, and functional genomics. The project is part of the IMMUNARCH programme and focuses on the evolutionary history of archaic genetic variation associated with immune function.

The successful candidate will work with ancient genomes, population genetic analyses, and functional genomic datasets to identify archaic variants with potential regulatory effects on immune phenotypes and to reconstruct their evolutionary trajectories. The project integrates multiple data types, including massively parallel reporter assays (MPRAs), ATAC-seq chromatin accessibility data, and RNA-seq gene expression data across different immune cell types and experimental conditions.

The postdoc will investigate evolutionary signals across immune pathways, cell types, and pathogen-response categories, and will contribute to manuscript preparation and conference presentations. The position is jointly based at the Institut Jacques Monod (IJM) and the Institut Pasteur, both in central Paris, in a dynamic international research environment with computing infrastructure for large-scale genomic analyses.

Supervision will be shared between Dr. Stéphane Peyrégne, head of the paleogenomics group at IJM, and Prof. Lluis Quintana-Murci, head of the Human Evolutionary Genetics Unit at the Institut Pasteur. Their groups provide complementary expertise in paleogenomics, population genetics, human evolutionary genomics, immunogenomics, and functional genomics.

The position is funded by Université Paris Cité until January 2029, and the postdoc must start no later than 31 January 2027. Salary starts at approximately €2,500 per month after taxation, depending on experience, in line with French public research scales. Health insurance costs for the candidate and family are included in the taxation, and foreign nationals may benefit from housing and children’s education support depending on income.

Applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent in evolutionary genomics, functional genomics, bioinformatics, or a related field, with strong practical and computational experience in genomics, excellent English, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively. At least one first-author publication is required, and experience with cell culture or organoid systems would be an advantage. Applications are reviewed immediately and will remain open until the position is filled; the stated deadline is 20 September 2026.