I started my team at UCBL (Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1) in the summer of 2013. Our goal is to understand how cellular physiology can be controlled by basic molecular and cellular pathways regulating the biology of two-pore domain potassium channels (K2P). By allowing the outward flow of potassium ions, these channels maintain the cell’s resting membrane potential and counteract depolarization. Thus, K2P channels play a central role in the control of neuronal excitability. However, little is known about the genes and specific cellular pathways that regulate the function of K2P channels in vivo. We use genetic strategies in C. elegans and other model systems to identify and characterize the factors that regulate this well-conserved family of ion channels.
The C. elegans community in Lyon is one of the fastest growing in France. Two other teams are already present in the department, and additional worm labs are located at nearby institutes. Lyon is a vibrant city that offers a high quality of life and world-renowned gastronomy.
Our work is funded by an ERC Starting Grant (ERC Stg 2013) for the next five years and we are welcoming applications from enthusiastic and independent scientists at all stages of their careers.
Interested Ph.D. candidates should contact me directly, and will have to apply to local PhD programs.
A postdoctoral position is also available. For more details about the lab, please visit our web site at: www.excitingworms.eu.
