Postdoctoral position - Lung-on-Chip Technologies for mRNA Vaccine Evaluation Institut Pasteur in France

Institut Pasteur in Paris is offering a postdoctoral position in Lung-on-Chip Technologies for mRNA Vaccine Evaluation within the Center for Resources and Technological Research. The project sits at the interface of bioengineering, cell biology, virology, and immunology, and is part of the European Vaccine Hub (EVH), a pan-European effort to advance pandemic preparedness and vaccine evaluation tools.

The successful postdoctoral researcher will join a bioengineering-driven team working on a human-relevant lung-on-chip platform designed to model the lung mucosal interface under dynamic flow. The goal is to establish this platform as a validated preclinical system for evaluating mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (mRNA-LNPs), using influenza vaccine candidates as a model. The work is aimed at improving how respiratory vaccines are assessed for uptake, transfection, innate immune activation, and barrier responses in a controlled human tissue model.

Core research tasks include introducing macrophages and other immune cells into the existing lung-on-chip model, performing viral infections in a BSL3 environment, characterizing tissue responses, and measuring LNP uptake, distribution, and transfection efficiency across epithelial and endothelial compartments. The project will also profile innate immune responses such as interferon signaling, cytokine secretion, barrier integrity, and immune cell recruitment, while benchmarking chip readouts against classical in vitro systems and in vivo data from consortium partners.

This position is particularly suitable for candidates with a PhD in bioengineering, cell biology, biophysics, immunology, virology, or a closely related discipline, and with practical experience in mammalian cell culture and differentiated epithelial models. Additional experience with microfluidic devices, organ-on-chip systems, lipid nanoparticles, microscopy, flow cytometry, ELISA, or multiplex cytokine assays will be highly valued. Strong English communication skills are required; French is optional.

Institut Pasteur offers a stimulating and collaborative research environment, access to advanced microscopy, genomics, flow cytometry, and BSL2/BSL3 facilities, plus opportunities for secondment in immunology units, conference participation, training, and transferable skills development. The contract is initially for 2 years and can be renewed. The application deadline is 20 October 2026 at 18:00 (Europe/Paris). Applications should be sent by email to the contact address provided in the announcement.