Expression of interest for PhD and postdoc fellowship applications on ecological succession in the infant gut

About this position

Early-life gut microbiome development is one of the most consequential for infant health, immune development, nutrition, and long-term host–microbiome interactions. During the first weeks of life the infant gut goes through an ecological succession process, which remains difficult to study mechanistically due to the challenges in reproducing early-life gut conditions in experimental systems.The NeoGut project envisions to recreate ecological succession in the infant microbiome experimentally and computationally, in order to better predict and ultimately influence microbiome assembly. If we can model early microbiome development and demonstrate that these models predict real biological behaviour, we move closer to rationally designing interventions that support healthy infant development: better timing for nutritional strategies, clearer understanding of risk trajectories, more targeted use of probiotics or microbiome-supporting approaches, and stronger evidence for how early-life microbial ecosystems shape later health.

This is a fellowship-oriented expression of interest . At this stage, we are especially interested in identifying strong candidates who would like to develop a fellowship application to work within the NeoGut project, with the Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos (IATA-CSIC) as host institution based in Valencia, Spain. The project is supported by the Plan Nacional from the State Research Agency in Spain, and the GutBioTox group at IATA-CSIC holds this project.

The GutBioTox group at IATA-CSIC combines the institutional, experimental, and microbiome-specific expertise needed to connect infant gut microbiome observations with testable biological models.

Relevant routes could include MSCA / Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions , Human Frontier Science Program , PhD applications with a Valencian university, and/ or other national, European, and international fellowship schemes. We can offer support for the scientific project and the application process. The selected candidate will have the opportunity to contribute to an emerging research direction at the intersection of neonatal microbiome science, longitudinal cohort design, experimental systems, bioinformatics, predictive modeling, and digital-twin thinking. We are looking for two profiles :

• Neonatal Microbiome Research Fellow (postdoctoral only)
• Microbiome Ecology and Data Science Fellow (PhD or postdoctoral applicants)

Neonatal Microbiome Research Fellow

This profile is for candidates interested in applying for a postdoctoral fellowship to the practical, biological, participant-facing, and experimental side of early-life microbiome research.

Relevant interests and experience may include:

• Microbiome sample collection, processing, or wet-lab workflows
• Cell biology, organoids, gut-on-a-chip systems
• Newborn / infant cohort logistics
• Clinical or cohort-based research
• Coordination with families, clinicians, collaborators, and lab teams
• Early-life development, infant health, or host–microbiome interactions

This profile would suit someone who is organized, reliable, comfortable with complex sample workflows, and excited by the challenge of connecting real-world longitudinal data with experimental systems where predictions can be tested.

For questions about this position, email: m.arroyo@iata.csic.es

Microbiome ecology and Data Science Fellow

This profile is for predoctoral and postdoctoral candidates interested in the computational and modeling side of NeoGut, including its connection to digital twin and predictive microbiome approaches.

Relevant interests and experience may include:

• Biochemistry
• Microbiome ecology
• Metabolic modelling
• Python and/or R
• Microbiome bioinformatics
• Longitudinal or temporal data analysis
• Microbial ecology and community dynamics

This profile would suit someone with strong biochemistry and/or computational skills, and enough biological understanding to engage deeply with the microbiome questions, not only with the data-processing layer. The ideal candidate will be able to develop computational pipelines, but will be primarily driven by the biological mechanisms behind the analytical procedures.

For questions about this position, email: vrmarcelino@iata.csic.es

How to express interest

Interested candidates should send:

• A CV
• A cover letter, that includes the motivation and the profile they fit best, and
• possible fellowship schemes or timelines they would like to explore, if applicable
• For the microbiome ecology and data science position: please include an example of code (python/R) that you have recently written.

Please send expressions of interest to:

Angel Del Valle Echevarria

angel.delvalle@iata.csic.es

Suggested subject line: [Last Name] NeoGut Expression of Interest [Neonatal Microbiome Research Fellow OR Microbiome ecology and Data Science Fellow]