News and opportunities
EnLife's ambition is to federate a scientific community around research in synthetic biology and life engineering, and to help train tomorrow's researchers in these fields. Throughout the duration of the program, EnLife will be offering scientific events and themed trainings, open to all its members and to the wider scientific community.
Events to come
Past events
Events to come
Organized by EnLife
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Seminars organized within the EnLife community
Section under contruction
Meetings and training
Biopatterning: Patterning principles in biophysics - sponsored by EnLife
Link to the meeting's website
Beg Rohu, Saint-Pierre-Quiberon (South of Brittany), France
25–29 May 2026
The workshop will bring together an interdisciplinary community of leading scientists in physics and biology, who will present novel results on principles leading to the formation of patterns in biophysics. The program includes 9 lectures (1h30) by invited speakers, as well as 2 poster sessions and two short talk sessions by participants (10min +5min questions).
Participants will be selected among early-career researchers, PhD students and postdocs
Deadline for application March 15, 2026
Organizers : Michele Castellana, Charlie Duclut, Jean-François Joanny, David Lacoste
Beg Rohu, Saint-Pierre-Quiberon (South of Brittany), France
25–29 May 2026
The workshop will bring together an interdisciplinary community of leading scientists in physics and biology, who will present novel results on principles leading to the formation of patterns in biophysics. The program includes 9 lectures (1h30) by invited speakers, as well as 2 poster sessions and two short talk sessions by participants (10min +5min questions).
Participants will be selected among early-career researchers, PhD students and postdocs
Deadline for application March 15, 2026
Organizers : Michele Castellana, Charlie Duclut, Jean-François Joanny, David Lacoste
Post-doc in theoretical biophysics on collective cell migration
LPENS and Institut Curie, PSL University, Paris
Collective cell migration, a key process in living systems, remains largely underexplored in the intermediate-density subconfluent regime, where cell clusters coexist with isolated cells, as is often the case in morphogenesis and tumor progression.
A 2-year postdoctoral position in theoretical biophysics is opening in the Physics of Cells and Cancer Lab (Institut Curie - Paule Dagenais, Pascal Silberzan) and LPENS (Xiaowen Chen, Vincent Hakim). Working between the two labs, the project will focus on computational analysis and theoretical understanding of collective cell migration on patterned surfaces. In the subconfluent regime, we recently observed in vitro a new mode of collective migration driven by asymmetric micro-rails (ratchets) whose period is smaller than a cell size.
The project will study how directed collective flows emerge from cell-cell collisions, governed by cell density and substrate geometry. In the long run, the aim includes the exploitation of controlled collective migration to design new cell-sorting strategies, where collective effects can amplify subtle mechanical differences between cell types.
Applicants should hold or expect to complete a PhD in physics or a related field, with strong background in soft matter / nonequilibrium statistical physics / numerical simulation / statistical inference. Previous experience with data analysis would be a plus but not required. Applicants should be able to work interactively in a collaborative research environment, including physicists and biologists.
Funding: PSL Grand Program Engineering Life (EnLife)
Duration: 2 years.
Ideal starting date: summer/fall 2026.
Applications will be reviewed starting from April 15, 2026, on a rolling basis until the position is
filled. To apply, please send your CV, a brief research statement, and two letters of reference
to xiaowen.chen@phys.ens.fr.
Download the advertisement here
Collective cell migration, a key process in living systems, remains largely underexplored in the intermediate-density subconfluent regime, where cell clusters coexist with isolated cells, as is often the case in morphogenesis and tumor progression.
A 2-year postdoctoral position in theoretical biophysics is opening in the Physics of Cells and Cancer Lab (Institut Curie - Paule Dagenais, Pascal Silberzan) and LPENS (Xiaowen Chen, Vincent Hakim). Working between the two labs, the project will focus on computational analysis and theoretical understanding of collective cell migration on patterned surfaces. In the subconfluent regime, we recently observed in vitro a new mode of collective migration driven by asymmetric micro-rails (ratchets) whose period is smaller than a cell size.
The project will study how directed collective flows emerge from cell-cell collisions, governed by cell density and substrate geometry. In the long run, the aim includes the exploitation of controlled collective migration to design new cell-sorting strategies, where collective effects can amplify subtle mechanical differences between cell types.
Applicants should hold or expect to complete a PhD in physics or a related field, with strong background in soft matter / nonequilibrium statistical physics / numerical simulation / statistical inference. Previous experience with data analysis would be a plus but not required. Applicants should be able to work interactively in a collaborative research environment, including physicists and biologists.
Funding: PSL Grand Program Engineering Life (EnLife)
Duration: 2 years.
Ideal starting date: summer/fall 2026.
Applications will be reviewed starting from April 15, 2026, on a rolling basis until the position is
filled. To apply, please send your CV, a brief research statement, and two letters of reference
to xiaowen.chen@phys.ens.fr.
Download the advertisement here