Umeå University, Faculty of Science and Technology

Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with over 37,000 students and about 4,700 employees. The University offers a diversity of high-quality education and world-leading research in several fields. Notably, the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made here. At Umeå University, everything is close. Our cohesive campuses make it easy to meet, work together and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture.

The ongoing societal transformation and large green investments in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, conducting research about – and in the middle of – a society in transition is key. We also take pride in delivering education to enable regions to expand quickly and sustainably. In fact, the future is made here.

Are you interested in learning more? Read about Umeå university as a workplace

Description

We are seeking for a PhD student to study the non-coding gene space of conifers, including comparative genomics analyses to angiosperm species. The candidate will work extensively on a number of primary, existing datasets including seasonal profiling of roots and needles, abiotic stress response and developmental series experiments. The work will concentrate on de novo identification of long non-coding RNAs and characterisation of their expression and co-expression patterns. The work will also involve analysis of pseudogenes and the relationship of non-coding RNAs and aspects of epigenetic control. The work will be integrated within the Norway spruce and Scots pine genome projects and will involve working collaboratively with other project members.

Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD position at the Department of Plant Physiology at Umeå University, Sweden. Staring the 1st of October or by agreement. The PhD student will participate in an Industrial Graduate Research School in Forest Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology. As a PhD student you will perform research and take courses at a graduate level. There will also be opportunities to be involved in teaching and bioinformatics support within the department.

Admission requirements

To be admitted for studies at third-cycle level the applicant is required to have completed a second-cycle level degree, or completed course requirements of at least 240 ECTS credits, of which at least 60 ECTS credits are at second-cycle level, or have an equivalent education from overseas, or equivalent qualifications. To fulfil the specific entry requirements to be admitted for studies at third-cycle level in plant physiology and plant molecular biology at Umeå Plant Science Centre, the successful candidate must have completed 90 ECTS credits in biology or chemistry with relevance to biology. Out of this, at least 15 ECTS credits has to be in a subject closely related to the research topic of the graduate programme as well as an independent project work of at least 15 ECTS credits in an area relevant for the project.

Applicants who in some other system either within Sweden or abroad have acquired largely equivalent skills are also eligible.

The candidate should have a good grounding in statistics and programing/scripting and ideally have proficiency in R, Python and other relevant languages as well as having basic programming skills. They should be proficient in Unix and bash and have experience in using large computer infrastructures. The candidate will work on using data from numerous projects and as such must have a solid foundation in plant biology and knowledge of forest trees is highly desirable. Familiarity with methods for analysing RNA-Sequencing data is highly desirable. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the project, a high standard of written and spoken English skills are important, as is the ability to work with and integrate into groups.

The assessment of applicants is based on their qualifications and their ability to benefit from the doctoral-level education they will receive.

Application

The application should contain the following documents:

  • A personal letter describing yourself, your specific research interests and your reason for applying to this position
  • a curriculum vitae;
  • a certified copy of grades and degree certificates;
  • copies of relevant work such as bachelor’s or master’s thesis or articles that you have authored or co-authored;

Contact information of at least two references, familiar with the applicant’s qualifications. Your application should be submitted through Umeå University’s digital recruitment system MyNetWork Pro on 2018-06-19 at the latest.

We value the qualities that an even gender distribution brings to the department, and therefore we particularly encourage women to apply for the position.

Information

For more information please contact Dr. Nathaniel Street, +46-(0)72-537 20 03,

nathaniel.street@umu.se.

Union information is available from SACO, +46-(0)90-786 53 65, SEKO, +46-(0)90-786 52 96 and ST, +46-(0)90-786 54 31.

The procedure for recruitment for the position is in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance (chapt. 12, 2 §) and the decision regarding the position cannot be appealed.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Type of employment Temporary position
Contract type Full time
First day of employment 2018-10-01 or by agreement.
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100%
City Umeå
County Västerbottens län
Country Sweden
Reference number AN 2.2.1-1036-18
Contact
  • Nathaniel Street, 072-537 2003
Union representative
  • SACO, 090-786 53 65
  • SEKO, 090-786 52 96
  • ST, 090-786 54 31
Published 29.May.2018
Last application date 19.Jun.2018 11:59 PM CEST

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