Group leader positions at IECB Bordeaux – Call 2025

The European Institute of Chemistry and Biology, (or Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie, IECB, www.iecb.u-bordeaux.fr) is an internationally recognized incubator of research groups. The Institute is under the joint tutelage of the University of Bordeaux, CNRS and INSERM. Located in the thriving scientific ecosystem of Bordeaux campus in the Southwest of France, the Institute offers a stimulating environment at the intersection of chemistry and biology. The team incubation period is typically of 10 years, and teams are selected by an international Scientific Advisory Board. The Institute currently hosts 13 research groups developing their research projects in chemistry and biology.

IECB is looking for candidates for group leader positions, with the following profiles:

1.     Targeted call for a structural biologist with expertise in single-particle cryo-electron microscopy and/or cryo-electron tomography, multiscale imaging and/or computational modeling. Research areas include but are not limited to microbiology, virology, RNA biology, plant biology, neurosciences, cancer, or immunology.

2.     Targeted call for a synthetic organic chemist interested in areas such as synthetic methodology, bioorganic and medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, supramolecular chemistry, bio-inspired materials and catalysis, synthetic biopolymers.

3.     General call for candidates with other profiles but having creative projects at the interface between chemistry and biology.

Originality of the project will be highly valued as well as interest in developing interdisciplinary collaborations both within the Institute and with other laboratories of the Bordeaux campus.

As part of its commitment to fostering inclusivity, the Institute is dedicated to achieving gender equality. In line with this commitment, female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

The group leaders will have full autonomy to build and manage their research teams, leveraging IECB’s state-of-the-art facilities in structural biology, structural chemistry and biophysics (8 NMR magnets, 3 cryo-electron microscopes 120/ 200/ 200 keV, X-ray crystallography, mass spectrometry, peptide synthesis and protein production, SPR,…). A full list of facilities is available here: https://www.iecb.u-bordeaux.fr/en/facilities. We welcome candidates across various stages of their research careers, particularly those in the early stages (2-10 years after PhD, extended in cases of motherhood or paternity leaves), we will also consider high quality applications from more senior researchers including groups already established in France. Selected applicants will receive seed funding for initial setup and will be encouraged to apply for additional start-up funding which would cover their salary such as through the ATIP-Avenir program, FRM "amorçage", ANR support or ERC grants. They will receive guidance and support on securing a long-term research position in France. Proficiency in English is required while knowledge of French is not mandatory.

Applicants are invited to submit by June 10, 2025 their application as a single PDF file containing a cover letter, an extended biosketch describing their background and up to five main achievements (max. 5 pages), a detailed research proposal (max. 5 pages) and a full CV. Candidates should also arrange for 3 reference letters to be sent independently by the refereeing contacts (with applicants' name in the title), by the deadline to Dr Gilles GUICHARD (g.guichard@iecb.u-bordeaux.fr) and Dr Frédéric FRISCOURT (f.friscourt@iecb.u-bordeaux.fr) with copy to Ms Claire-Hélène BIARD (ch.biard@iecb.u-bordeaux.fr) - Notification of preselected candidates by end of July 2025. Interviews at IECB: September 25-26, 2025.