Assistant Professor in Plant Resilience to Biotic Stress (Tenure Track 1.0 FTE)

Assistant Professor in Plant Resilience to Biotic Stress (Tenure Track 1.0 FTE)

Job description

We are looking for an enthusiastic, communicative, and highly motivated tenure track Assistant Professor with experience in studying mechanisms of plant resilience to biotic stress. As a tenure track researcher, you will be part of the Translational Plant Biology team of the department of Biology, and actively do research, teaching, and supervision. You have proven excellence in research and teaching and are able to develop an independent research line. At the same time you can connect to, complement, or extend other research themes in the Translational Plant Biology chair group that are aimed at utilizing fundamental scientific discoveries in plant biology to application in crops.
This position aims to develop an innovative research programme, focusing on translational aspects, going from knowledge to application, of plant immunology and physiology. Areas and technologies of interest include genetics, proteomics, high-throughput plant phenotyping, innovative technology platforms, and advanced data analysis. You are encouraged to actively seek funding for new research projects through personal, national, European, and other international granting opportunities, including partnerships with companies in plant breeding and biotechnology. You will supervise research projects of postdoctoral researchers, PhD candidates, and undergraduate students. 40% of this position is devoted to teaching. Therefore, it goes without saying that you enjoy this activity and have the intrinsic motivation to educate and inspire a new generation of scientists, policymakers, and entrepreneurs.
To further build our new team, we believe it is important that you are a critical and creative thinker with strongly developed social skills. You have the ability and the ambition to develop leadership skills for a future staff position in the Translational Plant Biology research group.

Qualifications

We seek a driven, creative and collaborative candidate with the following qualifications:

• a PhD in plant biology and postdoctoral experience;
• experience, talent and an interest in academic teaching;
• motivation to work in large research consortia with industry;
• experience with biological research into molecular mechanisms of plant disease resistance and trade-offs;
• a strong background in plant molecular biology and genetics, affinity/experience in plant immunity, biochemistry, plant physiology and handling large data sets;
• experience in publishing impactful science;
• a broad network in plant biology and experience with outreach;
• excellent English proficiency (spoken and written) and the willingness to learn Dutch.

Offer

• a full-time tenure track position for five years that will be subject to a mid-term evaluation after approximately 2.5 years and an end-term evaluation. If evaluations are positive after five years, the position becomes permanent;
• a full-time gross salary - depending on previous qualifications and experience - ranging between €3,821 and €5,230 per month (scale 11 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities (cao));
• benefits including 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions based on the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities.

About the organization The Department of Biology  consists of 12 research divisions, which are organized within two institutes: the Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity (IBB)  and the Institute of Environmental Biology (IEB) . The Department of Biology coordinates the teaching of the Bachelor’s programme in Biology, as well as the Master’s programmes and PhD courses which are offered through the Graduate School of Life Sciences. Each institute promotes the maintenance of a high-quality and interactive research environment.
You will be working within the newly formed Translational Plant Biology group where we will ensure mentoring for you within our group and within the Department of Biology. We consider diversity in research, backgrounds, and personalities important in our international research group that is embedded in the Institute of Environmental Biology . You can expect to work in an inclusive, collaborative, and motivating environment with a very creative and international team of PhD students, Postdocs, tenured staff, and Research Assistants. You will have access to world-class research facilities including recently renovated plant growth facilities and fully equipped molecular labs and you will benefit from our extensive national/international collaborations in academia and industry.
At the Faculty of Science there are 6 departments to make a fundamental connection with: Biology, Chemistry, Information and Computing Sciences, Mathematics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Physics. Each of these is made up of distinct institutes that work together to focus on answering some of humanity’s most pressing challenges. More fundamental still are the individual research groups – the building blocks of our ambitious scientific projects.
Utrecht University is a friendly and ambitious university at the heart of an ancient city. We love to welcome new scientists to our city – a thriving cultural hub that is consistently rated as one of the world’s happiest cities. We are renowned for our innovative interdisciplinary research and our emphasis on inspirational research and excellent education. We are equally well-known for our familiar atmosphere and the can-do attitude of our people. This lively and inspiring academic environment attracts researchers, professors and PhD candidates from all over the globe, making both the university and the Faculty of Science a vibrant international and wonderfully diverse community.

Additional information If you have any questions, please contact Professor Guido Van den Ackerveken , via [email protected] .
Do you have a question about the application procedure? Then please send an email to [email protected] .

Apply

Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. If you have the expertise and the experience to excel in this role, please respond via the “Apply now” button, enclosing:

• your letter of motivation;
• your curriculum vitae, including a publication list;
• a research vision (2-3 pages and please include how you envision the embedding of your research in the Translational Plant Biology team);
• a teaching vision (1 page);
• the names and email addresses of three references;
• a copy of your PhD certificate.

If this specific opportunity isn’t for you, but you know someone who may be interested, please forward this vacancy to them.

The application deadline is 15/06/2022