Postdoctoral Position in Human Metabolism, Mitochondria & Behavior

Postdoctoral Position in Human Metabolism, Mitochondria & Behavior

EPFL - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

Lausanne, Switzerland

Mission

The Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics at EPFL is seeking an outstanding and highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join an interdisciplinary team investigating the metabolic and mitochondrial bases of human behavior, with a focus on stress and anxiety vulnerability, motivation, and individual differences. This position offers a unique opportunity to work at the crossroads of behavioral neuroscience, metabolism, bioinformatics, applying analytical and machine learning tools to rich multimodal human datasets—including blood-based metabolic profiles, MRS-derived brain metabolites, hormonal and physiological stress markers, and behavioral data.

Position Overview: The successful candidate will contribute to advancing our understanding of how mitochondrial and metabolic function relates to individual differences in motivated behavior, stress, and anxiety responsiveness. A strong background in mitochondrial biology and/or metabolism is essential, and experience with bioinformatic analysis of metabolic and gene expression datasets is highly valued. You will analyze data from human studies integrating metabolomics (blood and brain), behavioral readouts, physiological assessments, and hormonal markers. Studies aim to uncover mechanistic links between systemic and brain energy metabolism and behavioral phenotypes relevant to stress, anxiety, and motivation. The position also offers opportunities to work with large-scale genomic datasets (e.g., UK Biobank) to connect genetic and metabolic signatures with behavioral traits.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze and interpret metabolic and mitochondrial data (e.g., blood metabolomics, MRS-based brain metabolites) in relation to stress, anxiety, and motivated behavior.
• Apply bioinformatic, statistical, and machine learning approaches to integrate and interpret datasets, including metabolic, hormonal, physiological, and behavioral data.
• Investigate associations between gene expression, metabolic markers, and behavioral phenotypes using public genetic repositories.
• Contribute to the design, execution, and analysis of human experiments.
• Prepare high-quality manuscripts and present findings at international conferences.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team and contribute to a stimulating and supportive lab environment.

Qualifications

• PhD in Metabolism, Mitochondrial Biology, Neuroscience, Bioinformatics, Systems Biology, or a related discipline.
• Strong background in mitochondria and/or metabolic biology, with demonstrated ability to analyze metabolomics data.
• Experience in bioinformatics and programming (e.g., Python, R), with proficiency in machine learning and data analysis for integrating biological and behavioral datasets.
• Experience with genomic or transcriptomic datasets (e.g., GWAS, UK Biobank) is desirable.
• Excellent publication record and collaborative skills.

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