Aix-Marseille Université
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Postdoctoral Researcher in Modelling Bacterial Transport Strategies in Real-Life Environments Aix-Marseille Université in France
Degree Level
Postdoc
Field of study
Materials Science
Funding
Available
Deadline
Jun 30, 2027
Country
France
University
Aix-Marseille Université
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About this position
Postdoctoral position at Aix-Marseille Université / LAI (Marseille-Luminy) in the project Modelling bacterial transport strategies in real-life environments.
This postdoc sits at the interface of biophysics, active matter, stochastic transport, porous-media physics, and optimal control. The project studies magnetotactic bacteria, which align with Earth’s magnetic field while responding to chemical and oxygen cues. A key scientific goal is to understand how these bacteria navigate in heterogeneous sediments, porous gels, and confined microstructures, where environmental signals are fragmented and amplified by local geometry.
The project asks how a weak, large-scale chemical gradient can be transformed by a porous medium into local signals strong enough to guide bacterial motion. Two mechanisms are emphasized: random sequences of strong chemotactic steps and periodic asymmetric chemical steps that may act like a chemotactic ratchet. The work combines theory and data analysis to study long-distance navigation, trapping, escape, first-arrival events, and rectification effects.
Research methods include Langevin dynamics, run-and-tumble models, continuous-time random walks, first-passage theory, extreme statistics, and optimal control, together with analysis of experiments in microfluidic porous networks and artificial sediments. The project is embedded in the TBMTM consortium, which provides experimental expertise on magnetotactic bacteria, porous media, and controlled chemical landscapes.
The ideal candidate is a physicist or quantitative scientist with strong training in statistical physics and stochastic modelling, interest in bacterial motility or active matter, and programming skills (Python/Matlab or equivalent). Experience with image analysis, optimal control, or first-passage theory is welcome. The post is full-time, temporary, and based in Marseille, France, at the Laboratoire Adhésion et Inflammation (LAI), on the Luminy campus.
Supervisor: Jean-François Rupprecht. Applications and informal inquiries are by email. The deadline is 30 June 2027, and the starting date is flexible across 2026–2027.
Funding details
Available
What's required
PhD or equivalent in physics, applied mathematics, biophysics, or a related quantitative discipline. The ideal candidate should have solid training in statistical physics and stochastic modelling, an interest in bacterial motility, active matter, or transport in complex media, and the ability to analyze experimental data quantitatively. Programming experience, preferably in Python, Matlab, or equivalent, is expected, along with curiosity for interdisciplinary work at the interface between physics and life sciences and a taste for developing simple theoretical models grounded in real experiments. Experience with image analysis, optimal control, or first-passage theory would be appreciated but is not mandatory. Excellent English is required.
How to apply
Send an email application to [email protected]. Include a CV, a short statement of research interests, and contacts for 1–2 references. Informal inquiries are welcome before applying.
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