Fully funded PhD position
The National Centre of Competence in Research NCCR Genesis is a research infrastructure project funded by SNSF focussing on exploring the emergence of life in the Universe. This interdisciplinary research infrastructure brings together physicists, earth and planetary scientists, chemists and biologists to understand the conditions and the mechanisms that enable life to emerge. Developing reliable methods to detect reliable traces of life (biosignatures) – whether through remote sensing or direct onsite measurements – requires significant innovation. These challenges demand close collaboration across physics, biology, chemistry and the earth sciences. NCCR Genesis does not aim
to provide answers in all fields, but to drive innovative research and achieve decisive progress.

Details on NCCR Genesis are available on its website https://nccr-genesis.ch.

Position Overview

The Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTE) at the University of Lausanne invites applications for a PhD position in computational biosignatures and quantitative modeling within the framework of the NCCR Genesis. The successful candidate will work under the joint supervision of Alice Bosco Santos (UNIL) and Paolo De Los Rios (EPFL).

Project Overview

This PhD project aims to quantify how viral perturbations of microbial metabolism translate into measurable biosignatures in low-oxygen environments.
Focusing on sulfur-cycling microbial communities (e.g., purple sulfur bacteria and associated viruses), the project will combine bioinformatics, quantitative modeling, and experimental data integration to identify key metabolic control points targeted by viruses and evaluate how their perturbation propagates through microbial and biogeochemical systems, producing detectable shifts in biosignatures (e.g., isotopic fractionation, pigment production).

Key Responsibilities:

• Analyze multi-omics datasets:
  o metagenomics
  o metatranscriptomics
  o viromes and auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs)
• Identify metabolic pathways (KEGG pathways) and rate-limiting steps targeted by viruses
  Develop quantitative models to:
  o simulate microbial metabolic networks
  o quantify the impact of viral perturbations
  o estimate thresholds for detectable biosignature shifts
• Integrate experimental data into modeling
• Contribute to the interpretation of carbon and sulfur cycling
• Participate in field campaigns to gain familiarity with the systems studied
• Possibility to participate in laboratory experiments (e.g., gene expression analyses) to validate and parameterize quantitative models
  

Candidate Profile
A motivated candidate interested in the intersection of biology, physics, and Earth sciences, with a strong inclination toward computational approaches.

Required:

• MSc (or equivalent) in bioinformatics, computational biology, physics, environmental sciences, or related field
• Strong interest in quantitative analysis and modeling
• Programming skills
• Ability to work at the interface of disciplines
• Interest in linking models to experimental data

Working Environment
The candidate will be based at the University of Lausanne and will collaborate closely with EPFL. The project offers a highly interdisciplinary environment at the interface of microbial ecology, physics, and Earth sciences.
The position is embedded within the NCCR Genesis, providing access to a broad network of researchers working on biosignatures, planetary habitability, and the detection of life beyond Earth.

What is Offered

• A fully funded PhD position in Switzerland
• Training at the interface of microbiology, physics, and Earth sciences
• Opportunities to develop both computational and experimental skills
• Collaboration within a national research network (UNIL, EPFL, SUPSI, UNIGE, ETH)
• A supportive and interdisciplinary research environment within the NCCR Genesis

Application

Applications should be sent to alice.boscosantos@unil.ch and include:

• CV
• Motivation letter
• Contact details of 2–3 referees
• The position is expected to start in Fall 2026. The application deadline is August 5, 2026.
• Interviews will be conducted between August 15 and 20, 2026