Post-Doc position in chemistry/physicochemistry

ESPCI Paris - PSL

ESPCI Paris - PSL is a major institution of higher education (a French "Grande École d’Ingénieurs"), an internationally renowned research center (6 Nobel Prizes), and a fertile ground of innovation for industry (3 start-ups created/year). ESPCI is a highly multidisciplinary environment with teaching and research in physics, chemistry and biology.

Prof. Andrew Griffiths’ Lab

The research activities of the Laboratory of Biochemistry team, directed by Prof. Andrew GRIFFITHS, are centred around droplet-based microfluidics, a powerful new ultrahigh-throughput system in which reaction volumes can be miniaturized by up to a million-fold compared to conventional assays in microtitre plates. This opens up exciting prospects for the development of extremely innovative systems with many applications in both fundamental and applied research. The successful candidate will join a highly multidisciplinary team, with experience spanning biology, chemistry and physics.

Project Description

The de novo creation of living systems is a long-standing dream of humanity. To realise this dream, we need a clear conceptualisation of the goal and the experimental means to put it to practice. We think now, time is ripe to make a serious attempt. There is emerging consensus that a minimal living system should be out-of-equilibrium and self-sustaining, have metabolism, an inheritance system, a boundary to keep the constituents together and that a population of such systems should be able to undergo Darwinian evolution. The aim of this project is to develop, for the first time, synthetic chemical systems with all of these features.

This ERC Synergy Grant project brings together 4 partners (from Germany, France, the Netherlands and Israel) with expertise in the theory of evolution and replicator dynamics, and in vitro replication, metabolism and compartmentalization.

ESPCI will contribute to the in vitro compartmentalization of autocatalytic and metabolic system in emulsion droplets and coacervate droplets using microfluidic systems. Specifically, we will work on

• the expansion of metabolic capacities of smallmolecule systems (based on the formose reaction) and their coupling to other replicator systems;
• the coupling of various autocatalytic systems to compartment growth and division;
• the development of triple systems integrating replication, metabolism and compartment growth and division;
• the development and implementation of microfluidic systems to allow autocatalysis to be coupled to compartment growth and division in an outof-equilibrium regime over multiple generation with all autocatalytic systems to allow (at least) rudimentary evolution and to establish enhanced evolvability.

Related publications from the lab :

Lu, Heng, et al. "Small-molecule autocatalysis drives compartment growth, competition and reproduction." Nat. Chem. 16, 70–78 (2024).

Reed, Brian D., et al. "Real-time dynamic single-molecule protein sequencing on an integrated semiconductor device." Science 378, 186-192 (2022).

Ameta, Sandeep, et al. "Darwinian properties and their trade-offs in autocatalytic RNA reaction networks." Nat. Comm. 12, 842 (2021).

Arsène, Simon, et al. "Coupled catabolism and anabolism in autocatalytic RNA sets." Nucleic Acids Res. 46, 9660-9666 (2018).

Matsumura, Shigeyoshi, et al. "Transient compartmentalization of RNA replicators prevents extinction due to parasites." Science 354, 1293-1296 (2016).

PhD required.

Background in physics/chemistry.

Expertise in out-of-equilibrium systems.

Strong knowledge in one or more of the following equipments: CSTR, RMN, LC-MS, GC-MS.

Flexibility, autonomy, the ability to work in a highly multidisciplinary team and good interpersonal skills are essential.