1 postdoctoral position in AI-guided protein design (M/F)

About this position

A two-year postdoctoral position is available in the Computational Structural Biology Unit, led by Dr. Max Bonomi. The unit is part of CNRS UMR3528 and the Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry at Institut Pasteur (Paris, France).

The successful candidate will primarily focus on developing and applying state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) methods for protein design. The research will be conducted in close collaboration with experimental teams at Institut Pasteur and other research institutions, with the aim of addressing biological questions and designing proteins with specific properties and functions.

The successful candidate will also be responsible for coordinating scientific collaborations associated with the projects, analyzing and interpreting results, and disseminating research findings through scientific publications and presentations at international conferences. They will actively contribute to the scientific activities of the unit and to the development of new computational approaches in structural biology.

• Develop, adapt, and implement state-of-the-art artificial intelligence methods for protein design, including generative models, diffusion models, and protein language models.

• Design and optimize proteins with specific structures, properties, or functions, according to the scientific objectives of the projects.

• Develop computational pipelines integrating sequence generation, structure prediction, and in silico evaluation of designed proteins.

• Analyze and interpret simulation and prediction results, and propose strategies to improve the performance of the methods employed.

• Work closely with experimental teams to define design objectives, select candidates for experimental testing, and integrate experimental results into iterative optimization cycles.

• Coordinate scientific collaborations and monitor the progress of joint projects with teams at Institut Pasteur and other partner institutions.

• Contribute to the development, documentation, and sharing of computational tools and software developed within the unit.

• Present research findings at scientific meetings, seminars, and international conferences, and contribute to the preparation of scientific publications.

• Participate in the scientific activities of the unit and contribute to the supervision of students and interns when appropriate.

The Computational Structural Biology Unit, led by Dr. Max Bonomi, is part of CNRS UMR3528 and the Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry at Institut Pasteur in Paris.

The unit's research focuses on the development and application of integrative modeling approaches to investigate the structure, dynamics, and functions of complex biological systems. The unit also develops innovative computational approaches, particularly those based on artificial intelligence, to design proteins with specific structures and functions.

The team consists of approximately 10 researchers with interdisciplinary expertise in physical chemistry, computational structural biology, and computer science, fostering a collaborative research environment at the interface of multiple disciplines.

The successful candidate will work under the direct supervision of Dr. Max Bonomi, Head of the Computational Structural Biology Unit.

The team is based on the Institut Pasteur campus in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. The campus is easily accessible by public transportation, particularly via metro lines 6 and 12 (Pasteur station), as well as several bus routes. On-site dining facilities are available to Institut Pasteur staff.