PhD position in Plant Biology

We are seeking for a PhD student to work within a project to study chromatin structure and dynamics in Norway spruce. The candidate will generate genomic DNA, Hi-C and ATAC-Seq data and perform analysis of that data. The candidate will also combine these new data with existing PacBio and Oxford Nanopore long-read genomic DNA sequencing data to identify patterns of DNA methylation. The project includes combining these results with existing RNA-Seq data and performing co-expression network analyses to identify the relationship between chromatin structure and the dynamics of gene and transposable element expression patterns. The work involves analysis of material generated from developmental series during somatic embryogenesis as part of a collaboration with Prof. Ulrika Egertsdotter (SLU). The candidate will also work closely with the Norway spruce genome project team and will be expected to interact extensively with this team.

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.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to doctoral education 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 abroad, or equivalent qualifications. In addition to these 90 ECTS credits must be in the area of biology, of which 15 ECTS 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 ECTS 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 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. In particular, experience of analysing DNA methylation using long-read sequencing data is highly desirable. Experience in analysing high throughput sequencing data, and in particular data analysis involving peak calling, is 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 

• 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 2 of July 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. 

The Department of Plant Physiology values the qualities that an even gender distribution brings to the department, and therefore we particularly encourage women to apply for the position.

We look forward to your application!