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Postdoc to investigate the inactivation of waterborne viruses by indigenous microorganisms
Take part in a larger project to determine the dynamics and public health risks of waterborne enteroviruses in Lake Geneva. Use your molecular biology skills to demonstrate how fresh water microorganisms graze on viruses.
Despite the implementation of modern water treatment and sanitation technologies, enteric viruses continue to enter water resources where they can remain infective for prolonged periods of time and cause a risk to public health. The higher the environmental persistence of a virus, the greater its likelihood to encounter and infect a new host. Environmental persistence is thus an important determinant of the public health risk posed by waterborne viruses. The indigenous microbial community (bacteria, protists) of a water body can significantly reduce the environmental persistence of viruses. The mechanisms by which microorganisms inactivate viruses, however, remain poorly understood. Interestingly, even closely related viruses exhibit vastly different susceptibilities to microbial inactivation.
Despite the implementation of modern water treatment and sanitation technologies, enteric viruses continue to enter water resources where they can remain infective for prolonged periods of time and cause a risk to public health. The higher the environmental persistence of a virus, the greater its likelihood to encounter and infect a new host. Environmental persistence is thus an important determinant of the public health risk posed by waterborne viruses. The indigenous microbial community (bacteria, protists) of a water body can significantly reduce the environmental persistence of viruses. The mechanisms by which microorganisms inactivate viruses, however, remain poorly understood. Interestingly, even closely related viruses exhibit vastly different susceptibilities to microbial inactivation.
**The objective** of this project is to determine the mechanisms by which microorganisms inactivate enteric viruses. The primary hypothesis is that virus inactivation is mediated by extracellular proteolytic enzymes produced by the microbial community. We will investigate the effect of the proteolytic enzyme pool on viral proteins, and identify the phenotypic traits that render a virus susceptible to microbial inactivation.
This position is part of a larger project to determine the dynamics and public health risks of waterborne viruses in Lake Geneva. Lake Geneva is a source of drinking water for 800,000 people, and it is heavily used for recreational activities. The proximity of this lake to our lab makes it an ideal test case. The project includes three PhD students who work on virus monitoring, fate and hydrodynamics in the lake.
**We are looking for** highly motivated candidates with a PhD in molecular microbiology, virology, or a related field, and an interest in environmental sciences. This project requires molecular biology skills, therefore candidates should have prior experience in working with infectious clones of viral genomes and reverse genetics, and/or protein mass spectrometry. The group language is English, therefore a good command of both spoken and written English is essential.
**We offer** a competitive salary (ca. CHF 85’000/year), a stimulating international research environment, good research infrastructures, and the opportunity to live and work alo
**The objective** of this project is to determine the mechanisms by which microorganisms inactivate enteric viruses. The primary hypothesis is that virus inactivation is mediated by extracellular proteolytic enzymes produced by the microbial community. We will investigate the effect of the proteolytic enzyme pool on viral proteins, and identify the phenotypic traits that render a virus susceptible to microbial inactivation.
This position is part of a larger project to determine the dynamics and public health risks of waterborne viruses in Lake Geneva. Lake Geneva is a source of drinking water for 800,000 people, and it is heavily used for recreational activities. The proximity of this lake to our lab makes it an ideal test case. The project includes three PhD students who work on virus monitoring, fate and hydrodynamics in the lake.
**We are looking for** highly motivated candidates with a PhD in molecular microbiology, virology, or a related field, and an interest in environmental sciences. This project requires molecular biology skills, therefore candidates should have prior experience in working with infectious clones of viral genomes and reverse genetics, and/or protein mass spectrometry. The group language is English, therefore a good command of both spoken and written English is essential.
**We offer** a competitive salary (ca. CHF 85’000/year), a stimulating international research environment, good research infrastructures, and the opportunity to live and work alo
For further information about this lab and project, consult lce.epfl.ch or contact Prof. Tamar Kohn.
To apply, please send the following documents as a single pdf file to karine.maritz@epfl.ch:
- a cover letter explaining your motivation for the position and your career goals
- a detailed CV
- the name and contact information of three references
For further information about this lab and project, consult lce.epfl.ch or contact Prof. Tamar Kohn.
To apply, please send the following documents as a single pdf file to karine.maritz@epfl.ch: - a cover letter explaining your motivation for the position and your career goals - a detailed CV - the name and contact information of three references