Group leader in Neuroscience and/or Animal Behaviour

The Centre for Integrative Biology of Toulouse launches its annual call for the recruitment of group leaders, with, this year, a special attention to neuroscience and animal behaviour

The Centre for Integrative Biology of Toulouse (CBI) brings together three research departments in Biological Sciences at the University of Toulouse and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). It is located in Toulouse, southwest France,    in a new building on the main Campus of the Université Toulouse III- Paul Sabatier. The campus offers a multidisciplinary education in the fields of science, health, engineering, and technology, representing one of the most important scientific research clusters in France. The CBI benefits from a collaborative and international scientific culture, and is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity.

The CBI currently includes over 400 scientists in 46 internationally recognized research groups, conducting research in fundamental aspects of the structure and function of complex biological systems. Research at CBI spans all scales from individual molecules to the whole organism and animal groups. It is multidisciplinary, covering a wide range of research fields from molecular genetics and epigenetics to cell biology, developmental biology, neurobiology, animal behaviour, as well as computational and systems biology, applied mathematics and theorical physics. The Research Centre on Animal Cognition (CRCA) is one of the three research Departments of the CBI, and an internationally renowned research centre covering a wide range of topics from neuroscience to animal behaviour.

The CBI is seeking an outstanding new group leaderaddressing fundamental questions in neuroscience and/or animal behaviour within the spectrum of the CRCA research fields, such as experience-dependent plasticity of neural circuits and/or behaviour, mechanisms underlying cognitive processes, mechanisms of individual or collective behaviour, behavioural ecology. These topics may be addressed at different levels (molecular, cellular, networks, individual, group), using a variety of approaches: genetics, imaging or electrophysiology in or ex vivo, computational modelling, automatic tracking, comparative biology, and field studies. Proposals addressing aspects such as the impact of exposome (i.e., environmental exposure and/or lifestyle) on neural systems and behaviour, and/or determinants of interindividual behavioural variability will receive particular attention.

Successful candidates will benefit from mentoring to help setting up a group and securing extramural funding, as well as office and lab space and a starting package for installation. Specific support will be provided for applying to a tenured position for candidates who do not hold a permanent position at the time of application. The CBI provides a collaborative scientific environment, with access to in-house cutting-edge core facilities, including photonic and (cryo-)electron microscopy, a computer cluster for large data analysis and simulation. It offers access to the Mouse Behavioural Core and other animal facilities for vertebrates (xenopus, zebrafish) and invertebrates (fruit flies, bees, ants, spiders, C.elegans). Deep sequencing and proteomics facilities are available through the local network of nearby platforms (GenoToul).

Outstanding early-career candidates of any nationalityare expected to develop competitive, independent research and meet the required criteria for successful application to national and international funding (ATIP Avenir, FRM, ANR JCJC, ERC-StG or CoG, or equivalent installation grant) and to a tenured position in a French research institution (University of Toulouse or CNRS). Established researchers holding a permanent position from these institutions are also welcome to apply. Women are particularly encouraged to apply.