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). A PhD student position is open at the Department of Plant Physiology, which is part of Umeå Plant Science Centre. Application deadline is 2019-10-10.

Project description

We are seeking for a PhD student to work within a project to study the regulatory network controlling wood formation in coniferous and angiosperm forest tree species. The candidate will perform DNA affinity purification sequencing (DAP-seq) and Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-Seq) of developing wood from Norway spruce and aspen. The project includes generating high spatial resolution cryogeneic section series of developing wood in additional conifer and angiosperm species, generating RNA-Seq data and performing co-expression network analyses. The work will include generating CRISPR-Cas9 and/or over-expression transformation lines of aspen. The project is a collaboration between the Umeå Plant Science Centre and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and is funded by the National Research Foundation of 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. The employment will start by agreement.

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 credits, of which at least 60 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 experience of molecular biology and statistics and ideally have basic proficiency in R, unix or with programming. They should have experience working with plant species and preferably with trees. Familiarity with methods for analysing gene expression or epigenetics 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.

Documents should be sent electronically, in MS Word or PDF format, trough the recruitment system by 10th of October at latest. 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!