Engineering disease resistance into wheat

A Postdoctoral level position has become available in the group of Prof. Brande Wulff in the Center for Desert Agriculture at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia. The Wulff group studies the structure, function, evolution, and mechanism of disease resistance in wild relatives of wheat, with the aim of engineering this resistance into bread wheat (www.wulfflab.org ).

You will use synthetic biology and rational design to optimize and engineer resistance from wild wheats into bread wheat. We seek individuals with experience in molecular biology, genetic engineering, and plant transformation.

The Wullf Lab benefits from generous funding and dedicated research support staff. We are embedded in the Center for Desert Agriculture within the multidisciplinary Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division . State-of-the-art infrastructure, provided through Core Labs , includes controlled environment rooms, glasshouse facilities, high-performance computing, DNA sequencing, protein biochemistry and structural biology.

Successful candidates will have a demonstrated record of achievement in academia or industry, and an eagerness to work as part of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary, international team in collaboration with industry. Requirements include a PhD degree in biology or related discipline and experience with genome engineering and molecular biology. Successful candidates will have excellent writing skills, a talent for communication, a collaborative spirit, and an interest to see research outcomes reach practical application. Informal enquires can be addressed to Brande Wulff ([email protected] ). Applications, including a cover letter (max one page) and a CV (max 2 pages), should be submitted. For full consideration, please submit your application before 31 January 2024. The position will remain open until filled.

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King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea coastal area of Thuwal, is an international graduate-level research university dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement that will benefit the region and the world. As an independent and merit-based institution and one of the best-endowed universities in the world, KAUST is becoming a major new contributor to the global network of collaborative research. It will enable researchers from around the globe to work together to solve challenging scientific and technological problems. The admission of students, the appointment, promotion and retention of faculty and staff and all the educational, administrative and other activities of the University shall be conducted on the basis of equality, without regard to race, color, religion or gender. Further information can be found at www.kaust.edu.sa .