Research engineer [F/M] for AI-driven molecular and spatial analysis of tumor cell plasticity

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Offre n°2026-10598

Research engineer [F/M] for AI-driven molecular and spatial analysis of tumor cell plasticity

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Le descriptif de l’offre ci-dessous est en Anglais

Type de contrat : CDD

Niveau de diplôme exigé : Bac + 5 ou équivalent

Autre diplôme apprécié : Master's degree or equivalent

Fonction : Ingénieur scientifique contractuel

A propos du centre ou de la direction fonctionnelle

The Inria research centre in Lyon is the 9th Inria research centre, formally created in January 2022. It brings together approximately 410 people in 20 research teams and research support services.

Its staff are distributed in Villeurbanne, Lyon Gerland, and Saint-Etienne.

The Lyon centre is active in the fields of software, distributed and high-performance computing, embedded systems, quantum computing and privacy in the digital world, but also in digital health and computational biology.

Contexte et atouts du poste

A two-year research engineer position is available in team BioTiC at Inria Lyon. At BioTiC, we study cellular systems through computational models and bioinformatic data analysis, in order to better understand their organizational principles. In our team, we value working together, being innovative, and providing opportunities for professional and personal growth.

The position is within the framework of project AIMPACT, a collaboration between Magali Richard, Yuna Blum, Sophie Achard (CNRS), Anton Crombach (Inria), and Alex Petersen (Brigham Young University, Utah, USA). The overall goal of this project is to better understand tumor cell plasticity, that is to say the ability of cancer cells to dynamically reprogram their transcriptional programs in response to environmental cues. You will be advised by Anton Crombach, whilst working together with other members of the project. You will be located at Inria’s La Doua site and you will have regular opportunities to visit partners in Grenoble and Rennes.

You will benefit from the expertise at BioTiC regarding bioinformatic data analysis and computational modelling of biological systems; and through AIMPACT’s partners you will profit from world-class knowledge regarding statistics, machine learning and AI, and cancer biology. Overall, the project will foster your career in terms of building up cutting-edge expertise on high-dimensional data analysis, network inference, statistics, machine learning and AI, and data visualization techniques – areas that are strongly demanded in academia and industry.

Mission confiée

AIMPACT focuses on the identification of molecular mechanisms associated with tumor cell plasticity. Tumor cell plasticity refers to the ability of cancer cells to alter their transcriptional programs in response to environmental cues, enabling them to adapt and evade therapies. Unlike normal cells that have stable cell types, tumor cells can dynamically switch between molecular states, acquiring more aggressive features. This non-genetic adaptability is orchestrated by epigenetic modifications, transcription factor activity, and gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Tumor plasticity has been widely observed across multiple cancers and here we study it in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), one of the most lethal malignancies. Despite recent advances, our ability is limited to predict and control tumor plasticity. Addressing this gap requires innovative AI methods that can integrate multi-modal data, incorporate uncertainty, provide interpretable insights, and capture the dynamic nature of cellular state transitions in their spatial context—capabilities that lie beyond conventional approaches.

Your primary goal within the project will be to transform a prototype software for differential network analysis into a professional Python package. This will include, but is not limited to, developing novel visualization features, creating extensive documentation, preparing example notebooks, and identifying candidate regulatory processes for further analysis by AIMPACT’s partners. You will also have time to pursue additional initiatives, for instance designing and implementing novel analysis tools that build on the existing prototype. Naturally, we are open to discuss other initiatives on a case-by-case basis.

Principales activités

The goal of this two-year research engineer position is to provide and use cutting-edge tools to better understand how drug tolerance manifests itself in gene regulatory processes. This means your main activities are:

• transform a prototype software for differential network analysis into a Python package
• create documentation, prepare example notebooks, design new visualization features
• apply differential network analysis on networks generated by AIMPACT’s partners
• predict genes and genetic interactions linked to drug-tolerance for further analysis by our partners

Finally, you are strongly encouraged to disseminate your work through publications in international journals and by presenting it at national and international conferences.

Compétences

The project requires skills in computer science, mathematics, and (cancer) biology. A successful candidate has experience in one or more of the following areas: software engineering, statistics and machine learning / AI, explainability, single-cell data analysis, network inference, data visualization, programming in Python/R. Affinity with cancer biology and the challenge of cellular state transition in pancreatic cancer is considered a real advantage. Good oral and written communication skills in English are essential.

Avantages

Subsidized meals

Partial reimbursement of public transport costs

Leave: 7 weeks of annual leave + 10 extra days off due to RTT (statutory reduction in working hours) + possibility of exceptional leave (sick children, moving home, etc.)

Possibility of teleworking (after 6 months of employment) and flexible organization of working hours

Professional equipment available (videoconferencing, loan of computer equipment, etc.)

Social, cultural and sports events and activities

Access to vocational training

Social security coverage

Rémunération from €2,692 gross per month

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Informations générales

Thème/Domaine : Biologie numérique

Biologie et santé, Sciences de la vie et de la terre (BAP A)

Ville : Villeurbanne

Centre Inria : Centre Inria de Lyon

Date de prise de fonction souhaitée : 2027-03-01

Durée de contrat : 2 ans

Date limite pour postuler : 2026-11-10

Attention: Les candidatures doivent être déposées en ligne sur le site Inria. Le traitement des candidatures adressées par d'autres canaux n'est pas garanti.

Consignes pour postuler

Applications must be submitted online via the Inria website. Processing of applications submitted via other channels is not guaranteed.

Sécurité défense :

Ce poste est susceptible d’être affecté dans une zone à régime restrictif (ZRR), telle que définie dans le décret n°2011-1425 relatif à la protection du potentiel scientifique et technique de la nation (PPST). L’autorisation d’accès à une zone est délivrée par le chef d’établissement, après avis ministériel favorable, tel que défini dans l’arrêté du 03 juillet 2012, relatif à la PPST. Un avis ministériel défavorable pour un poste affecté dans une ZRR aurait pour conséquence l’annulation du recrutement.

Politique de recrutement :

Dans le cadre de sa politique diversité, tous les postes Inria sont accessibles aux personnes en situation de handicap.

Contacts

Équipe Inria : BIOTIC

Recruteur :

Crombach Antonius /

L'essentiel pour réussir

The applicant should have a strong basis in computer science/mathematics or similar field (MSc degree or equivalent), ideally oriented toward bioinformatic data analysis and/or software development. An essential quality for this project is a keen interest to apply one’s computational skills to help answering biological questions. An interest in single-cell technologies and network inference is considered a real asset, as is wanting to communicate and collaborate with (computational) biologists that study cancer.

A propos d'Inria

Inria, l'institut national de recherche dans les sciences et technologies du numérique, est en appui de l’État pour les stratégies nationales de recherche et d’innovation du numérique en tant qu'Agence de programmes. Inria mène plus de 300 projets de recherche et d’innovation avec ses 3500 scientifiques, ingénieurs et personnels d’appui, en partenariat avec les universités et l’écosystème numérique (entreprises, entrepreneurs, acteurs publics). Ensemble, nous explorons des domaines clés comme l'intelligence artificielle, la cybersécurité, l’informatique quantique, le Cloud, la transformation numérique de la santé, les jumeaux numériques ou encore les technologies numériques pour la défense. Nous construisons des solutions concrètes telles que des logiciels, des startups technologiques, des partenariats avec les entreprises du tissu national et des formations de pointe. Notre objectif : l’impact scientifique, technologique et industriel au service de la souveraineté numérique de la France.

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