Job Detail

Junior research scientist in neurobiology of eating behavior

Others À plein temps
ID: #12173
Posted: 2026-03-10
Salary

Description

French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE) Organisation/Company: French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE) Department: 0914 PNCA Research Field Neurosciences Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline: 5 Mar 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Country: France Type of Contract: Permanent Job Status: Full-time Hours Per Week: 35 Offer Starting Date: 1 Sep 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No Offer Description PNCA is a joint research unit (UMR) involving INRAE, AgroParisTech, and Université Paris-Saclay, located on the Agro-Paris-Saclay campus (CAPS) and specialized in protein nutrition. Reducing the consumption of animal proteins in favor of plant proteins is one of the main levers for improving the sustainability of food systems. The research conducted within PNCA aims to support this transition through projects focusing on eating behavior (API-Neuro team), protein metabolism and digestibility (APReM team), and food system modelling (PROSPECT team). PNCA has technical platforms dedicated to biochemistry, histochemistry, electrophysiology, molecular biology, cell culture, isotopic mass spectrometry, calorimetry, and behavioral testing in rodents. It also includes a dedicated animal facility, access to the Human Nutrition Research Center (CRNH) at Avicenne Hospital, and to the experimental restaurant on the Agro-Paris-Saclay campus. The host team (API-Neuro) consists of 2 researchers, 5 teacher‑researchers, 2 research engineers, 4 technicians, and 6 PhD students, specialized in nutrition, neurobiology, physiology, and microbiology. Research topic: Assessment of the neurobiological processes underlying protein consumption choices. The brain directs eating behavior toward the consumption of high‑quality proteins and induces potentially obesogenic compensatory responses when protein intake is reduced, but the mechanisms behind these behaviours remain poorly understood. A better understanding of these processes is necessary to support the dietary transition toward more sustainable protein sources while minimizing the risk of obesity. The API‑Neuro team investigates the consequences of reduced protein intake on eating behaviour in both rats and humans. In the rat model, the team has characterized robust behavioural responses and observed neuro‑glial activations in the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) and the ventral striatum in relation to protein consumption. You will be responsible for conducting neurobiological studies in animals along this research axis, aiming to understand how the brain detects amino acid intake and integrates this information to guide food choices. You will build upon the models already used in the laboratory and implement methods of functional activation/inhibition of neuronal networks (opto/chemogenetics), combined with electrophysiological analyses, to explore the mechanisms involved in the hyperphagic response to reduced protein intake. Activities • Developing studies to elucidate the brain mechanisms involved in the control of alimentary protein choices and consumption. • Using electrophysiological approaches (already established in the laboratory) to characterise the activation of the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) by digestive signals associated with proteins (amino acids, microbiota‑derived metabolites, and regulatory peptides) in rodents. • Designing and implementing targeted cellular approaches, such as chemo/optogenetic activation (e.g., DREADD) of neuronal or glial populations (astrocytes, microglia) within the DVC in rodents, and linking these manipulations with assessments of feeding behaviour (intake and choice) in rodents. • Elaborating experimental design to explore the integration pathways in brain regions controlling food intake, in collaboration with other scientists in the team. • Developing active collaborations with existing or identified partner teams (particularly within the neuroscience community at Paris‑Saclay University) on projects focused on the neurobiology of feeding behaviour related to protein intake. • Contributing to the dissemination of the team’s results (publications and participation in conferences). • Actively participating in the life of the team and the research unit. Number of offers available: 1 Company/Institute: French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE) Country: France<

Hard Skills 0

No hard skills extracted

Soft Skills 0

No soft skills extracted

Apply Options
Publisher Direct Link
Trabajo.org No Apply
Trabajo.org No Apply
API Logs for this Job
Query Country Status Response ms Created
Junior research scientist in neurobiology of eating behavior fallback 413 2026-03-21 21:15
junior research scientist in France fr processed 3944 2026-03-21 17:18
Raw JSON
{
  "job_id": "WpvIW-4mVaWb2iVRAAAAAA==",
  "job_city": "Villeneuve-d'Ascq",
  "job_state": null,
  "job_title": "Junior research scientist in neurobiology of eating behavior",
  "job_salary": null,
  "job_country": "FR",
  "job_benefits": null,
  "job_latitude": 50.6232523,
  "job_location": "Villeneuve-d'Ascq",
  "job_onet_soc": "19101200",
  "apply_options": [
    {
      "is_direct": false,
      "publisher": "Trabajo.org",
      "apply_link": "https://fr.trabajo.org/offre-2958-0111859f3b0f1c6fcc810d4806d0e19f?utm_campaign=google_jobs_apply&utm_source=google_jobs_apply&utm_medium=organic"
    },
    {
      "is_direct": null,
      "publisher": "Trabajo.org",
      "apply_link": "https://fr.trabajo.org/offre-2958-0111859f3b0f1c6fcc810d4806d0e19f"
    }
  ],
  "employer_logo": "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRWg35ATsr0NbYm8SjSgSmhGnbp-oOuXpfnJ_US&s=0",
  "employer_name": "French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE)",
  "job_is_remote": false,
  "job_longitude": 3.1442650999999997,
  "job_posted_at": "il y a 11 jours",
  "job_publisher": "Trabajo.org",
  "job_apply_link": "https://fr.trabajo.org/offre-2958-0111859f3b0f1c6fcc810d4806d0e19f?utm_campaign=google_jobs_apply&utm_source=google_jobs_apply&utm_medium=organic",
  "job_highlights": {},
  "job_max_salary": null,
  "job_min_salary": null,
  "job_description": "French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE)\n\nOrganisation/Company: French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE)\nDepartment: 0914 PNCA Research Field Neurosciences Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2)\nApplication Deadline: 5 Mar 2026 - 23:59 (UTC)\nCountry: France\nType of Contract: Permanent\nJob Status: Full-time\nHours Per Week: 35\nOffer Starting Date: 1 Sep 2026\nIs the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme\nIs the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No\n\nOffer Description\n\nPNCA is a joint research unit (UMR) involving INRAE, AgroParisTech, and Université Paris-Saclay, located on the Agro-Paris-Saclay campus (CAPS) and specialized in protein nutrition. Reducing the consumption of animal proteins in favor of plant proteins is one of the main levers for improving the sustainability of food systems. The research conducted within PNCA aims to support this transition through projects focusing on eating behavior (API-Neuro team), protein metabolism and digestibility (APReM team), and food system modelling (PROSPECT team). PNCA has technical platforms dedicated to biochemistry, histochemistry, electrophysiology, molecular biology, cell culture, isotopic mass spectrometry, calorimetry, and behavioral testing in rodents. It also includes a dedicated animal facility, access to the Human Nutrition Research Center (CRNH) at Avicenne Hospital, and to the experimental restaurant on the Agro-Paris-Saclay campus. The host team (API-Neuro) consists of 2 researchers, 5 teacher‑researchers, 2 research engineers, 4 technicians, and 6 PhD students, specialized in nutrition, neurobiology, physiology, and microbiology.\n\nResearch topic: Assessment of the neurobiological processes underlying protein consumption choices. The brain directs eating behavior toward the consumption of high‑quality proteins and induces potentially obesogenic compensatory responses when protein intake is reduced, but the mechanisms behind these behaviours remain poorly understood. A better understanding of these processes is necessary to support the dietary transition toward more sustainable protein sources while minimizing the risk of obesity. The API‑Neuro team investigates the consequences of reduced protein intake on eating behaviour in both rats and humans. In the rat model, the team has characterized robust behavioural responses and observed neuro‑glial activations in the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) and the ventral striatum in relation to protein consumption.\n\nYou will be responsible for conducting neurobiological studies in animals along this research axis, aiming to understand how the brain detects amino acid intake and integrates this information to guide food choices. You will build upon the models already used in the laboratory and implement methods of functional activation/inhibition of neuronal networks (opto/chemogenetics), combined with electrophysiological analyses, to explore the mechanisms involved in the hyperphagic response to reduced protein intake.\n\nActivities\n• Developing studies to elucidate the brain mechanisms involved in the control of alimentary protein choices and consumption.\n• Using electrophysiological approaches (already established in the laboratory) to characterise the activation of the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) by digestive signals associated with proteins (amino acids, microbiota‑derived metabolites, and regulatory peptides) in rodents.\n• Designing and implementing targeted cellular approaches, such as chemo/optogenetic activation (e.g., DREADD) of neuronal or glial populations (astrocytes, microglia) within the DVC in rodents, and linking these manipulations with assessments of feeding behaviour (intake and choice) in rodents.\n• Elaborating experimental design to explore the integration pathways in brain regions controlling food intake, in collaboration with other scientists in the team.\n• Developing active collaborations with existing or identified partner teams (particularly within the neuroscience community at Paris‑Saclay University) on projects focused on the neurobiology of feeding behaviour related to protein intake.\n• Contributing to the dissemination of the team’s results (publications and participation in conferences).\n• Actively participating in the life of the team and the research unit.\n\nNumber of offers available: 1\nCompany/Institute: French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE)\nCountry: France<",
  "job_google_link": "https://www.google.com/search?q=jobs&gl=fr&hl=fr&udm=8#vhid=vt%3D20/docid%3DWpvIW-4mVaWb2iVRAAAAAA%3D%3D&vssid=jobs-detail-viewer",
  "employer_website": null,
  "job_onet_job_zone": "4",
  "job_salary_period": null,
  "job_apply_is_direct": false,
  "job_employment_type": "À plein temps",
  "job_employment_types": [
    "FULLTIME"
  ],
  "job_posted_at_timestamp": 1773100800,
  "job_posted_at_datetime_utc": "2026-03-10T00:00:00.000Z"
}