A second call for a PhD position has been announced at the University Paris-Saclay. The position will be supervised by our colleague, Dr. François Rouyer, who is based in France, and will be co-supervised by our other colleague, Prof. Ralf Stanewsky from the University of Münster in Germany. Light in Paris is a project, which is part of MSCA COFUND action.
Abstract:
Light and the circadian clock have a major impact on sleep-wake patterns. How sleep-wake behavior adapts
to daily and seasonal changes in the solar light spectrum has consequences for a wide range of brain
functions. However, little is known about the contribution of different photoreceptive molecules to the
sleep-wake profile. Moreover, the light conditions used to analyze sleep-wake rhythms in the laboratory are
very different from natural conditions. The PhD project aims to decipher the mechanisms by which light and
temperature inputs shape the sleep-wake profile of fruit flies in naturalistic conditions. It will use a multiwavelength LED lighting system reproducing natural light and temperature cycles, and a series of genetic
backgrounds affecting light-input pathways, to understand how the different photoreceptors define the
sleep-wake profile through clock-dependent and clock-independent mechanisms. A key part of the project
will be to decipher the photoreceptive circuits that allow clockless flies to display normal sleep-wake
rhythms in these naturalistic conditions.
Deadline: Monday 23 February 2026 23:59 Paris time (UTC +1)
More information and how to apply can be found at https://lightinparis.eu/.
Keywords
- Biophotonics
- natural light
- solar light
- circadian photoreception
- sleep-wake cycle
- drosophila