PhD Student
PhD in Computanional Chemistry and Neuroscience Full-time
A PhD position is open for an interdisciplinary project in the Acher and Poncer labs in Paris aiming to design and test novel compounds targeting the potassium/chloride cotransporter KCC2 in epilepsy and related neurological disorders. The project will be funded by the i-Bio program at Sorbonne University: http://ibio.sorbonne-universite.fr/application-procedure/
Our project aims to develop a totally novel approach based on molecular modelling and virtual screening to design new molecules with improved specificity and bioavailability. This goal will be achieved by combining advanced medical chemistry approaches (F Acher) together with cellular imaging and electrophysiological techniques (JC Poncer) in order to design and optimize specific KCC2 allosteric modulators, test their potency and specificity as well as evaluate their therapeutic potential in epilepsy.
The candidate should have a background in synthetic chemistry or pharmaceutical chemistry as well as notions of cellular biology and biochemistry. Fluency in programming with Matlab or equivalent is a plus. Additional training in cellular and molecular biology as well as electrophysiology will be provided through the i-Bio training program. Specific training in molecular modelling and virtual screening tools (Discovery Studio; Dassault Systèmes BIOVIA) will be provided through an active collaboration of F. Acher with Dassault Systèmes.