MASTER'S POSITION IN
RNA BIOLOGY
The lab of Neuroepigenetics at the University and ETH Zürich, Irchel campus is looking for a highly motivated Master student to work on a project at the interface between RNA biology, epigenetics and computational image analysis. The project will examine RNA dynamics and stability in male gonads across germ cell types and stages of spermatogenesis and how they change over time. The purpose is to determine whether RNA persistence is restricted to specific germ cell populations and stages, and to establish a quantitative framework to measure it at single cell resolution.
The project combines metabolic labeling of RNA in vivo, tissue cryosectioning, click chemistry and multiplex immunofluorescence, and confocal microscopy. A substantial part of the work is computational and will consist in developing a reproducible analysis pipeline for cell segmentation, cell type classification, spermatogenesis staging and signal quantification, based on existing deep learning models and open-source tools.
The project requires skills in both experimental and computational work. On the experimental side, knowledge and experience in microscopy are required, along with careful and reproducible histology and immunostaining. On the computational side, experience in image analysis is required and good programming skills are a plus.
Applicants from biology, computational biology, biomedical engineering, computer science or any relevant interdisciplinary background are welcome. The position is full time and is available starting in fall 2026 for a minimum of 6 months.
MASTER'S POSITION IN NEUROEPIGENETICS
The Mansuy lab is looking for a Master student to work on a project at the interface between neuroscience and epigenetics. The project investigates the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the expression and the inheritance of traits or symptoms resulting from life experiences. It focuses on factors and mechanisms that modify the activity of the genome in relation to behavior and metabolism across generations in mice. The main goals are to identify the factors that link traumatic experiences in early life to epigenetic alterations in the brain and germ cells, and examine how they can be corrected and causally linked to the reversal of symptoms and health improvement.
The project is embedded in a research program on epigenetic inheritance conducted by the lab. It is based on a pluridisciplinary approach that uses a mouse model of trauma in combination with molecular and cell biology techniques, -omics approaches including transcriptomics, methylomics, metabolomics, etc, behavioral testing, and bioinformatics. Clinical analyses in trauma patients are also conducted.
The project is envisioned to be followed by a PhD.
MASTER'S POSITION IN
BIOINFORMATICS
The Mansuy lab is looking for a Master student to work on a project at the interface between computation and biology and aims to gain insight into the biological mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance by mining data from the literature. The purpose is to analyse multi-omics data including DNA methylome, transcriptome, chromatin structure, proteome and/or metabolome in mouse and rat models and/or humans using publically available and customized pipelines and algorithms. It also involves a part on software development and improvement for multi-omics data analysis. The student will join a team of bioinformaticians and biologists who work together on the generation and analyses of experimental data.
Programming in R/Python and knowledge of UNIX-like platform is required. Knowledge of Git and some experience in analyzing NGS data is advantageous. Applicants with research experience are particularly encouraged to apply. The position is available now for a minimum of 10 months. Applicants from biology, bioinformatics, mathematics, computer science, physics or any relevant interdisciplinary background are welcome.