What is DYNABio?
The Dynamics of Biomolecular Networks (DYNABIO) is a cluster of excellence at Université Côte d’Azur (Nice, France) that brings together 85 research teams from six local biology institutes:
- C3M (Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire)
- iBV (Institut de Biologie Valrose)
- IPMC (Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire)
- IRCAN (Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging, Nice)
- ISA (Institut Sophia Agrobiotech)
- LP2M (Laboratoire de PhysioMédecine Moléculaire)
- Inria research institute for computer science and applied mathematics
The interdisciplinary approach of DYNABIO bridges biology with computer science, mathematics, chemistry, and physics. Research carried out within DYNABIO teams spans a wide range of models and addresses fundamental questions in biological mechanisms, pharmacology, cell and developmental biology, and agrosciences to understand the roles & regulatory principles of biological networks in the development and function of organs and organisms as well as in human disease etiologies (cancer, inflammation, cardiometabolic disease, aging, immune and neurological disorders) and plant-microorganism interactions.
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The DYNABIO PhD Program
The DYNABio doctoral programme offers fully funded 3-year PhD fellowships across a wide range of cellular and molecular biology topics, within an internationally visible and highly interdisciplinary research environment at Université Côte d’Azur. Université Côte d’Azur is a very dynamic and international University with over 30 000 students; located on the French Riviera in the South of France.
PhD projects will start in October 2026 and cover a broad range of topics related to biomolecular networks, including (but not limited to) systems biology, computational biology, biological data science, multi-omics, imaging, modelling, and AI-driven approaches.
PhD candidates will benefit from:
- Access to state-of-the-art experimental and computational platforms
- Strong supervision and interactions with teams of complementary expertise
- A rich training programme including advanced courses, workshops, and scientific events
- An international research ecosystem, with close interactions with local centres of excellence in artificial intelligence, machine learning, applied mathematics, and computational sciences
Applications
Please note : Applications must be sent before March 24, 2026.
- Who can apply?
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We accept applications from students of any nationality, who hold or expect to receive a Master or equivalent degree before September 2026.
- How and when to apply?
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Applications must be sent before march 24, 2026 by email to the potential future supervisors of the topic of their choice in the list below on this page.
PhD candidates are expected to contact their potential future supervisors and prepare a joint application, including the following documents:- CV of the candidate
- Motivation letter (max 1 page)
- At least 1 recommendation letter of previous supervisors/tutors
- Master transcript including detailed marks and ranks (if the Master is not finished yet, a transcript of the grades obtained so far)
- A 3 page-description of the project
We are looking for candidates with excellent academic level and strong motivation for a PhD project among the topics presented in the list.
Topics & supervisors
Detailed information on the different thesis projects proposed, including the scientific description and contact details of the supervisors, is provided in the document below:
List of topics & supervisors contact details
| N° | Project Title | Contact |
| 1 | Combining proton FLASH and best-in-class DRAK1 inhibition to reduce radiation maculopathy in uveal melanoma | maeva.dufies@gmail.com |
| 2 | Multi-Scale Molecular Rejuvenation by Cell-Type-Specific Partial Reprogramming | Dmitry.BULAVIN@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 3 | Dynamic role of SLC3A2 variants in murine embryo development | chloe.feral@inserm.fr Matteo.RAUZI@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 4 | Characterization and preclinical development of new ferroptosis inducers in melanoma | stephane.rocchi@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 5 | Decoding the role of Glutamylation in Endocytic trafficking functions and liver metabolism | Jerome.GILLERON@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 6 | STK17A as a Therapeutic Achilles’ Heel in Glioblastoma and SHH-Medulloblastoma | Gilles.PAGES@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 7 | Microbiota-derived metabolites as biomarkers and mediators of social deficits in autism: insights from mice and humans | davidovic@ipmc.cnrs.fr louis-felix.nothias@cnrs.fr |
| 8 | From Genomes to Networks: Population-Scale Rewiring of Protein Interactomes | gianni.liti@univ-cotedazur.fr Gergo.GOGL@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 9 | Dynamics of therapy-induced tumor cell plasticity and extracellular matrix remodeling in melanoma | Sophie.tartare-deckert@inserm.fr |
| 10 | Extracellular vesicle–mediated transmission of ER stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in liver fibrosis | Beatrice.BAILLY-MAITRE@univ-cotedazur.fr mchami@ipmc.cnrs.fr |
| 11 | Deciphering the gene regulatory networks ruling plant-nematode parasitic interactions | julia.truch@inrae.fr |
| 12 | Studying a morphogenetic wave driving gut formation during embryo development | Matteo.RAUZI@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 13 | Modeling the dynamics of a plant host exposed to multiple pathogens with artificial intelligence guided by physics | silvia.bottini@inrae.fr |
| 14 | A Physical Model of miRNA-Binding Activity in Animals and Plants | michele.trabucchi@univ-cotedazur.fr stephanie.jaubert@inrae.fr |
| 15 | Tumoroid-Guided Targeting of Ptch1 to Reverse Resistance in NSCLC | mus-veteau@ipmc.cnrs.fr valerie.vouret@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 16 | Experimental deciphering and computational modelling of the molecular mechanisms of tumor cell invasion | luton@ipmc.cnrs.fr Rachele.ALLENA@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 17 | Regeneration & Metabolism: Deciphering the implications of the telomerase TERT | eric.rottinger@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 18 | Decoding olfactory control of developmental timing: from sensory neurons to predictive Chemistry | nuria.romero@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 19 | Experimental and theoretical analysis of ultradian rhythms | Franck.Delaunay@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 20 | Exploring dimerization as a key mechanism of transcription factor specificity | Dominic.VAN-ESSEN@univ-cotedazur.fr Boglarka.ZAMBO@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 21 | Lysosomal reprogramming as a driver of drug resistance in breast cancer | Sandy.GIULIANO@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 22 | Dynamic Immune Editing of Cellular Senescence by Natural Killer Cells: Implications for Liver Fibrosis | Julien.cherfils@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 23 | Investigating the TET2-mediated regulation of chromatin architecture in B cell lymphomas | Pilar.DOMINGUEZ@univ-cotedazur.fr Eirini.TROMPOUKI@univ-cotedazur.fr |
| 24 | A Multi-omic Integration Approach to Understand the Etiology of Fragile X Syndrome | gwizdek@ipmc.cnrs.fr |
| 25 | Homochirality Regulation and the Role of Heterochirality in Aging and Disease | agnes.banreti@univ-cotedazur.fr uwe.meierhenrich@univ-cotedazur.fr |