The PERSISTers
We are looking for motivated scientists to join !
Because a research project is first and foremost both an individual and collective journey, we value the quality of life at work and the work/life balance.
CURRENT MEMBERS
Dr. Nicolas Personnic (Ph. D.) Group Leader - CRCN CNRS (2021 - present)
Bio: At the Institut Pasteur (PhD thesis, Prof. Cossart’s lab), the Biozentrum of Basel (PostDoc, Prof. Bumann’s lab) and the Institute for Medical Microbiology of Zürich (Senior scientist / SNF sponsored junior group leader), I have employed various clinically relevant bacterial pathogens and as many models of infection to study: (i) the pathogen single-cell dynamics and antibiotic persistence, (ii) the bacterial phenotypic heterogeneity & multicellularity, (iii) the host-pathogen interactions.
Languages: French - English - Spanish - German
Dr. Didier Blaha (Ph. D. ; HDR) Assistant Professor (2022 - present) - UCBL
Bio: I obtained my PhD thesis at the Microbial Ecology Laboratory in Lyon where I studied the phenotypic variation (phase variation) in the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria Azospirillum (Y. Moenne Loccoz’s Team). As a postdoc at the MAP (Microbiology, Adaptation and Pathogeny, Lyon), I investigated the resistance mechanisms to heavy metals in E. coli. At the CRSSA Grenoble (Centre de recherche du service de santé des Armées), I worked on Francisella tularensis virulence induced by quorum sensing. In 2007, I was hired as assistant professor (researcher/lecturer) at University of Lyon 1 (Microbial Ecology Laboratory; LEM, B. Cournoyer’s Team) to decipher the neuronal virulence of Nocardia and the genomic adaptation of this bacterium. More recently, I coordinated research in order to detect opportunistic pathogens in urban environments due to anthropization. In 2022, I joined the team Persit to investigate the bacterial multicellularity and its contribution to the infection.
Languages: French - English
Iris Dadole (Msc.) PhD student (2022 - present) - UCBL
Bio: I hold a DUT (technician's licence). Over the past years, I have worked with various pathogenic bacteria, with a focus on bacteria-host interactions. During my first research internship at the M2iSH laboratory in Clermont-Ferrand, I studied pathogenic Escherichia coli in relation to colorectal cancer. During my second internship, within the MHE team of the EBI laboratory in Poitiers, I investigated anaerobic bacterial communities’ interactions. From january 2022 to June 2022, I prepared and defended my Master thesis that aimed at deciphering about the molecular bases of the persisters - host interactions. I recently secured a competitive fellowship in order to pursue my research as a PhD student.
Languages: French - English
Webpages: LinkedIn - ORCID
Dr. Kevin Huguet (Ph. D.) Post doctoral researcher (2022 - present) - UCBL
Bio: I have completed my Ph.D. thesis in the French National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) in the team Genomic Plasticity, Biodiversity and Antimicrobial Resistance. I have then completed a 30 months post-doc at Sherbrooke University, in the Canadian Research Chair in Bacterial Molecular Genetics Laboratory led by Pr. Vincent Burrus. With these research experiences, I have developped a high expertise in the molecular life of mobile genetic elements (MGE) that are important players in the global antibiotic resistance crisis. In March 2022, following a 2 year-long stay as an R&D Project Manager in a startup company interested tackling antibiotic persistence, I joined the team Persist to unveil new molecular mechanisms underlying antibiotic persistence in bacteria.
Languages: French - English
Tel: TBA
Mathis Larrieu (Msc.) PhD student (2021 - present) - UCBL
Bio: I have a Bachelor's degree (BSc) in chemistry and biology realized at the University Grenoble Alpes (France) and the University of York (UK, ERASMUS program). I then obtained a Master's degree (MSc) in pharmaceutical sciences specialized in analytical method development at the University Lyon 1. I am now working as a Ph.D. candidate, under the supervision of Dr. Didier Blaha, on the development of a reactor based on a bio-inspired photo-catalytic structured support for the elimination of pathogenic microorganisms and harmfull pollutants from water. This research projet is financed by the AURA region (France).
Languages: French - English
Romain Gory Master thesis student (2023-2024) - UCBL
Valentin Sanhard PLR - ENS student
PAST MEMBERS
Souparnika Sabu Thayyil Master thesis student (2023-2024) - IISER Tirupati
Languages: English
Webpages: LinkedIn
Margaux Dolivet Internship (2023)
Languages: French - English
Clara Labbaci. Internship (2022)
Dr. Bianca Striednig. PhD student (2017 - 2020)
Junior Group at the University of Zürich
Dr. Selina Niggli. (2016)
Junior Group at the University of Zürich