PhD position in Plant Molecular Biology - Befattningen är under tillsättning eller redan tillsatt, och det är inte längre möjligt att lämna in en ansökan

Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC) is one of the strongest research environments for basic plant research in Europe. Research at UPSC covers a wide range of disciplines in plant biology including ecology, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, cell biology and molecular biology (see www.upsc.se). We are now looking for a PhD student  to the Department of Plant physiology which is part of UPSC.  

Description

We are seeking for a PhD student to work within a project to perform comparative analyses of gene co-expression networks to elucidate common and unique regulatory mechanisms. The work will focus on comparison of Norway spruce and Scots pine abiotic stress networks and on comparison of angiosperm and conifer wood development. The candidate will perform co-expression netwok inference, clustering, functional enrichment testing and differential network analysis. The project will also include the application of machine learning, differential expression and comparative genomics approaches. The project work will include growing, sampling and RNA extraction of experimental material of Scots pine. The project is funded by the Trees and Crops for the Future program and is a collaboration with Prof. Vaughan Hurry (SLU, Umeå, Sweden) and Prof. Torgeir Hvidsten (NMBU, Ås, Norway).

Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD position at the Department of Plant Physiology at Umeå University, Sweden. As a PhD student you will perform research and take postgraduate courses. Teaching work or other departmental responsibilities (up to a maximum 20%) can be included. The employment is for a four year period or for five years including teaching or departmental work. Salary is assigned according to a fixed salary with yearly increments for doctoral student employment. Applications must be received by 2019-06-18.

Admission requirements

Prerequisites include either i) 240 ECTS-credits (swe. högskolepoäng) of higher education studies of which 60 should be on an advanced level (Master level), or ii) 120 Swedish (old) credits (swe. poäng; corresponding to 180 ECTS-credits) of higher education studies if they were taken before July 1, 2007.

In addition to these 90 ECTS credits must be in the area of biology, of which 15 credits must have been obtained from a closely related topic linked to the described research task / graduate program in addition to a project of at least 15 credits. Applicants within or outside the country that have acquired essentially equivalent knowledge will also be considered. 

The candidate should have experience of molecular biology, statistics the use of R, python, unix or with programming. Familiarity with methods for analysing gene expression, network inference and machine learning are highly desirable. Due to the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the project, a high standard of written and spoken English is essential, 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. Documents should be sent electronically and should be in MS Word or PDF format.

Since we strive for a more equal gender distribution within our department, we especially encourage female applicants.

Information

For more information please contact Dr. Nathaniel Street, +46-(0)70-322 01 36, nathaniel.street@umu.se.

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.