Call for junior chairs

The aim of this call for proposals is to provide four young scientists with the means to set up and lead a research team within a laboratory established in France.

The first call, opened in 2024, allowed the funding of three chairs.

The present and second call aims to fund a fourth chair according to the same objectives as the first call.

The chair should aim to develop research of excellence in the field of the microbiome in prevention and human health, and to enrich the national research environment and infrastructures currently being built in this field.

Applicants’ research expertise should cover at least one of the research priorities/axes of the “SAMS” Programme, and in particular those addressing the following issues:

• Developing cutting-edge research on the host-microbiome symbiosis;
• Identify the disruptive elements – internal to the microbiome, of environmental or dietary origin, or linked to the host itself – and explain the sequence of microbial, metabolic and immune events, etc. that cause disruption of the symbiosis and homeostasis;
• Identify biomarkers of risk, diagnosis and prognosis, as well as predictors of treatment response and toxicity, so that they can be included in the medical arsenal for personalised care;
• Developing new preventive and therapeutic strategies, as well as specific, controlled interventional studies, which identify and correct “defects” in the microbiome in order to improve prevention in the general population, patient management and optimise treatments;
• Developing data science relating to the study of human holobionts (host-microbiome) at the interface of biology and medicine, and mathematics (medical computing, statistics, modelling, artificial intelligence).

The Chair will run for 3.5 years maximum, with funding of up to €500k (excluding management costs).

The host laboratory must provide the selected candidate with office space and a dedicated laboratory large enough to accommodate a start-up team (approximately 50 m2), as well as access to local technology platforms.