Fully Funded PhD Fellowships in Plant Molecular Biology, RNA Biology, and Organellar Gene Expression at IBMP (IMCBio 2026)

The Institute of Plant Molecular Biology (IBMP), part of the University of Strasbourg, announces five fully funded PhD fellowships for the 2026 academic year through the IMCBio International PhD Program. IBMP offers a world-class research environment in Strasbourg, France, with expertise in plant molecular biology, RNA biology, organelle biogenesis, gene expression regulation, stress adaptation, and epigenetics. The program is designed for highly motivated students passionate about molecular mechanisms in plants and provides access to state-of-the-art platforms in genomics, proteomics, microscopy, cryo-EM, and bioinformatics. PhD projects available at IBMP for 2026 include: Chloroplast RNA homeostasis – RNase E and dsRNA metabolism (Supervisor: Benoît Castandet) Mitochondrial translation initiation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Supervisor: Giegé) Global cytosolic mRNA decay profiling under stress (Supervisors: Gagliardi / Zuber) Functional and structural analysis of a dsRNA-binding protein involved in antiviral defence (Supervisor: Ritzenthaler) Characterization of the mRNA deadenylation machinery in Arabidopsis seeds (Supervisors: Gagliardi / Zuber) These interdisciplinary projects combine genetics, biochemistry, advanced RNA sequencing, imaging, structural biology, and bioinformatics. Students will join a dynamic, international research community and benefit from strong scientific mentoring and interdisciplinary collaboration. The IMCBio graduate school is supported by several research clusters, including MitoCross, INRT, and NetRNA, offering broad training in gene regulation, nuclear organization, epigenetics, and cell-to-cell communication. Applicants must hold or expect to receive a Master 2 (M2) or equivalent degree in 2026. The program seeks candidates with excellent knowledge of molecular mechanisms, strong motivation to acquire practical and bioinformatic skills, scientific independence, curiosity, critical thinking, and team spirit. Good English communication skills are required. Both French and international students are eligible. All five PhD positions are fully funded, with financial support guaranteed by the IMCBio program and associated research clusters. The application window opens on November 24, 2025, and closes on January 25, 2026. Online registration is open until January 18, 2026. Interested candidates should apply via the official IMCBio PhD Program portal and are encouraged to contact project supervisors for further details. For more information and to apply, visit https://imcbio-phdprogram.unistra.fr/ or contact supervisors directly. Join IBMP to advance cutting-edge plant science in an exceptional European research environment!