PhD position in Neurobiology and Evolution – Prudhomme Lab, IBDM, Marseille, France

A central question in neurobiology is to understand at the genetic, molecular and cellular levels how neuronal circuits generate behaviors. Higher brain functions such as multi-sensory integration and decision-making processes are particularly poorly understood. In addition, how these functions are modified during evolution to promote the appearance of novel behaviors remains largely unknown.

The PhD project will address these questions by investigating the neuronal mechanisms underlying the evolution of an innate behavior in Drosophila species.

We study how fruit fly females decide where to lay their eggs. The pest species Drosophila suzukii has evolved a divergent preference for laying its eggs on ripe fruits compared to other species such as D. melanogaster which prefer laying on fermented/rotten fruits. Using a combination of behavioral assays and genetic tools, we have demonstrated that D. suzukii’s behavioral divergence is linked to differences in how it processes sensory information in its Central Nervous Systems (CNS) compared to D. melanogaster. The proposed project will compare the physiological properties and functional role of homologous neuronal circuits controlling egg-laying decisions in the two species.

We aim to identify the neurons which function differently in the two species and cause the divergence of behavior. This will involve generating new transgenic lines, performing anatomical comparisons of neuronal circuits (microscopy), behavioral assays, and functional imaging studies (calcium imaging) to monitor and compare the activity of these circuits across species. The candidate should have solid background in neurobiology, microscopy and quantitative analyses. Expertise in dissection, Drosophila genetics and behavioral studies will be an asset.

The research team is composed of researchers, engineers and students who are using multidisciplinary approaches to study evolution of behavior and gene regulation.

The IBDM is an internationally-renowned research center exploring a diverse range of topics in cell/developmental biology and neuroscience, located on the Marseille Luminy Campus in the heart of the Calanques National Park.

A letter of motivation, a CV and contacts of two references should be sent to Matthieu Cavey.