Position: 3 PhD Students + 2 Postdoctoral Researchers
Project: BADGE – Decoding Gut Microbiome-Bile Acid Interactions
Location: Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
Lab: Microbial Ecology Lab
Start Date: 1 December 2025
🌱 About the Research
Bile acids do far more than emulsify fats — they’re key messengers between host and microbiome. In the FIS2-funded BADGE project, we’ll uncover why some microbes de-conjugate and/or re-conjugate bile acids by:
asking how bacteria respond to different bile acids, testing how these modifications influence neighboring microbes that can’t perform those reactions, and determining how the changes steer host health and disease.
We take a bottom-up approach, combining systematic screens under varied conditions with microfluidic assays and mathematical modelling.
💡 What We Offer
For PhD Candidates (3 Positions)
- Fully funded 3-year contract (+1-year extension option)
- Training in microbial ecology, metabolomics, and computational biology
For Postdocs (2 Positions)
- 3-year contract with competitive salary
- Access to cutting-edge platforms:
- Anaerobic culture systems
- Mass-spectrometry metabolomics
- Microfluidics and single-cell analysis
Lab Culture
- Mentorship-focused and interdisciplinary (40% women; team spans 3 continents)
- Collaborative environment (physicists, microbiologists, computational biologists)
- Professional development: Conference/exchange budget + publishing support
🎯 Ideal Candidates Have
- For PhDs: MSc in Life Sciences, Microbiology, Biotech, Physics, Math, or CS (by Nov 2025)
- For Postdocs: PhD in related fields
- Passion for curiosity-driven science and clear English communication
- Bonus Skills:
- Microfluidics / genomics / metabolomics
- Mathematical modeling (e.g., ODEs, network analysis)
📩 How to Apply
- Email CV + motivation letter to: gabriele.micali@humanitasresearch.it
- Include:
- Relevant experience (wet/dry lab)
- Why you’re excited about this project
- Links for Details:
🌍 We welcome applicants of all backgrounds!
✨ Why Join Us?
- Work on high-impact science at a top research hospital
- Publish in leading journals + build an international network
- Live in Milan—a hub for science, culture, and innovation
Visit our lab page: https://www.humanitas-research.com/groups/gabriele-micali-group/