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Bacteria are ubiquitous microscopic, single-celled organisms. Many bacteria live on and inside animals and humans, but very few cause diseases. Bacterial infections are usually treated with antibiotics, but resistance to antibiotics is becoming a major challenge. To prevent resistance from emerging and find alternative ways of combatting infections, we must understand population dynamics of bacteria during an infection: how they invade host cells, how resistant mutations arise and spread, and how intracellular bacteria respond to antibiotics. This requires a concentrated interdisciplinary effort.
In this project we take a physics-inspired approach and address these questions through a combination of laboratory experiments involving development of  a confocal microscope for imaging intracellular bacteria and  methods for optical detection of bacteria in liquids and use of mathematical modelling. We develop experimental model systems of bacterial infections together with advanced imaging methods to investigate the population dynamics of bacterial invasion. Mathematical models are used to interpret and direct experiments. The project fills an important gap between in vitro and animal models of infections. It enables quantitative research of bacterial ecology and evolution in an environment closer to the environment of the host than previous works, explore fascinating non-equilibrium physics of intracellular bacterial colonies, and the structure of within-host fitness landscapes.

Main responsibilities:

1. Planning and execution of specific elements of the research program under the guidance of the supervisor. This may involve but is not restricted to: developing a confocal microscope for imaging intracellular bacteria, developing methods for optical detection of bacteria in liquids.

2. Communicating research results to team members and collaborators at IPC and other institutions through talks and discussions, as well as learning about others’ research through seminars and journal clubs.  

4. Writing reports and scientific papers.

5. Attending and presenting at workshops and conferences. 

6. Keeping up-to-date with relevant scientific developments through literature review.

We offer a full-time employment position in the Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS with a gross salary of around 12 600 PLN per month financed from the NCN DIOSCURI project No. 2019/02/H/NZ6/00003. The offer is for 12 months with possible extensions based on satisfactory performance and funding availability.

The successful candidate will benefit from working in an international, interdisciplinary research group, a modern well equipped wet lab, office space, and access to computational/storage servers. The candidate will work closely with experimentalists and theorists from the Dioscuri Centre. The candidate will have the opportunity to visit collaborating research groups and to participate in international workshops and conferences.

The institute provides an opportunity to participate in ERASMUS+ programme.

Essential

• PhD in physics, chemistry, biology, or a related discipline, held or to be obtained before the job start date
• Hands-on experience with building optical systems
• Very good academic achievements as evidenced by peer-reviewed publications and talks/poster presentations at international conferences
• Ability to draft (in English) scientific papers for academic journals
• Ability to communicate (in English) complex information clearly, orally and in writing
• Ability to think creatively, propose and develop new ideas
• Capability of working without close supervision, exercising a high degree of initiative and demonstrating a pro-active approach to work

Desirable

• Experience in developing DIY microscopes or other optical imaging devices
• Experience in imaging biological samples (bacteria, cells, tissues)
• Experience with LabView or Micromanager
• Programming experience (C++ or Python)
• Experience in cross-disciplinary and / or collaborative research projects.
• Potential for career advancement as an independent researcher

Candidates who possess these additional skills will be prioritized.

The Recruitment Commission will take into account the following criteria:

a) competencies of candidates for specific tasks in the research project,

b) previous scientific achievements of candidates,

c) awards and distinctions of the candidate resulting from the conducted research.