2 MSCA-DN PhD's in advanced MRI biomarkers in leukodystrophies (Paris, FR)
POLARIS doctoral network
POLARIS is a European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network focused on accelerating therapy development for leukodystrophies: rare genetic disorders affecting the brain's white matter. The network aims to strengthen the full translational pathway, from understanding disease mechanisms and developing disease models to preclinical therapy testing, clinical readiness and patient-informed treatment priorities.
To achieve this, POLARIS brings together expertise in leukodystrophy biology, advanced disease models, therapeutic innovation, biomarker development, clinical translation, patient engagement, and ethical, regulatory and health-economic aspects of therapy development. The network will train a cohort of doctoral candidates in an international and interdisciplinary environment, combining academic research, industry-based preclinical development, secondments, network-wide training and transferable-skills development.
PhD projects
As a PhD candidate, you will develop and validate innovative MRI-based outcome measures to monitor disease activity and progression in cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (C-ALD).
Two complementary PhD positions are available within the same multidisciplinary research programme at the Paris Brain Institute. Depending on your background, your work will focus on either the clinical and neuroradiological aspects of advanced MRI or the computational and image-analysis aspects of the research.
You will investigate the sensitivity, specificity, and clinical relevance of state-of-the-art quantitative MRI (qMRI) techniques for assessing disease activity and progression in C-ALD. Particular emphasis will be placed on techniques including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and MR perfusion, which have shown promise as imaging biomarkers but require further validation in experimental and clinical settings.
You will process and analyse multimodal MRI and clinical data from paediatric and adult patients, combining clinical and neuroradiological expertise with computational and image-analysis approaches. The overall aim is to identify and validate robust imaging biomarkers that can improve the detection of disease activity, monitoring of disease progression, and development of clinically meaningful outcome measures for future therapeutic trials.
You will work closely with the other PhD candidate and with international experts in adult and paediatric leukodystrophies, neurology, neuroradiology, MRI, computational imaging, and patient engagement.
The two positions are complementary. One position is particularly suited to candidates with a background in clinical neurology or neuroradiology, while the other is suited to candidates with experience in computational sciences, image processing, and coding.
You will be supervised by Prof. Fanny Mochel and Dr. Caroline Sevin and will join the Metabolism, Immunity and Neurodegeneration (MIND) team at the Paris Brain Institute.
Planned secondments at the University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen (Germany), and one of two patient organisations—Alex TLC or the European Leukodystrophy Association (ELA)—will provide additional experience in next-generation MRI techniques, international research environments, and the psychosocial and patient-centred aspects of MRI screening in C-ALD.
The positions are based in Paris, France, with doctoral enrolment through the Sorbonne University doctoral school.
Leukodystrophies are inherited disorders affecting the brain's white matter and can cause a wide range of neurological symptoms and disability. They can present at different stages of life, from infancy to adulthood. Although genetic diagnosis has advanced considerably, genetic information alone does not always predict when disease will develop, how quickly it will progress, or how an individual patient will be affected.
Cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (C-ALD) is a common leukodystrophy and a progressive inflammatory demyelinating disorder. Regular clinical assessment and brain MRI are important for monitoring disease evolution.
Within this project, you will use C-ALD as a model to investigate whether advanced quantitative MRI techniques can provide sensitive and clinically meaningful measures of disease activity and progression. The project will contribute to the development of imaging biomarkers that could support clinical monitoring and future therapeutic trials.
We are looking for candidates with an interest in neuroimaging, leukodystrophies, and clinical research, who would like to work in an international and multidisciplinary environment.
You:
- have excellent written and spoken English;
- have an interest in MRI and clinical research;
- are able to work independently and contribute actively to a multidisciplinary team;
- hold, or are expected to obtain before the start of the position, a Master's degree or equivalent relevant to the project;
- have a background in medicine, biomedical sciences, computer science, engineering, or a related discipline.
Depending on the PhD project, experience or an interest in neurology, neuroradiology, coding, computational science, image processing, or quantitative MRI may be particularly relevant.
The following would be an advantage:
- a medical degree, particularly in neurology or neuroradiology;
- experience in medical or scientific research;
- experience with coding, computational science, image processing, or quantitative MRI;
- experience working with clinical or neuroimaging data;
- basic knowledge of French.
The two positions are designed to complement each other. We welcome applications from candidates with either a clinical/neuroimaging profile or a computational/coding profile.
Eligibility criteria
Important, strict eligibility criteria according to MARIE SKLODOWSKA CURIE programs apply to applicants:
- You must not already hold a doctoral degree.
- At the time of the application deadline, you must have a Master's degree and must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in France for more than 12 months in the three years prior to the contract start date.
- You will participate in the network-wide training programme of POLARIS, which includes (international) training activities and planned secondments with POLARIS partner organizations throughout the EU.
Financial compensation will be provided in accordance with the MSCA Doctoral Network funding rules and the applicable employment conditions at the Paris Brain Institute.
Professional development
The Paris Brain Institute offers a broad range of training opportunities, including management, communication, transferable skills, and language courses, including French. Additional programmes include the Open Brain School, scientific integrity, leadership, and research communication.
Well-being and health
The Institute provides access to complementary health insurance, with 60% of the contribution covered, as well as prevention and support services.
Additional benefits
Employees benefit from:
26 days of paid annual leave.
10–12 additional RTT days, depending on working arrangements.
Access to the hospital cafeteria.
Public transport support.
Partnerships with Action Logement and Studapart.
Sports and cultural activities, including yoga, gym, chess, and other activities.
The Paris Brain Institute and Sorbonne University provide an academic research environment combining specialised patient care, advanced diagnostics, and translational research.
The leukodystrophy programme brings together paediatric and adult neurology and is connected to European clinical networks and registries, including the leukodystrophy disease group of the European Reference Network for Rare Neurological Diseases (ERN-RND).
The programme contributes to European consensus and guideline development, newborn screening initiatives, and international clinical trials involving gene and cell therapies.
You will work at the intersection of paediatric and adult neurology, clinical research, neuroradiology, and advanced imaging technology. You will have access to brain MRI datasets, well-characterised patient cohorts, national and European registries, expert clinical networks, and collaborations with patient organisations.
The Sorbonne University doctoral school also offers courses supporting the development of your research and professional skills.
You will also be part of the international POLARIS doctoral network. You will work with researchers from different scientific disciplines and collaborate with academic and industry partners across Europe. Through secondments, network-wide training and transferable-skills development, you will build experience beyond your own research project and develop an international research network.
POLARIS is committed to open, transparent and merit-based recruitment. We value diversity and welcome candidates with different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences.
The application deadline is 5 October 2026. We aim to select the final candidate in October/November 2026.
Applicants may, where appropriate and in line with the recruitment procedure, also be considered for other POLARIS doctoral candidate positions that better match their profile and interests. You can highlight up to two additional POLARIS projects of interest in your application letter. This does not replace your application to the primary position, but helps the consortium identify potential alternative matches where relevant.
Would you like to know more about this PhD position? For substantive information about the vacancy, please contact Prof. Fanny Mochel via, fanny.mochel@icm-institute.org or Dr. Caroline Sevin, via caroline.sevin@icm-institute.org.
Acquisition in response to this vacancy will not be considered.
