PhD position: Immune receptor diversity in wild Brassica species

Your job

Are you a plant scientist with a keen interest in understanding how plants deal with pathogen attack? Are you excited to unravel genetic diversity of crop wild relatives using next-generation sequencing approaches? Do you have an interest in comparative genomics, plant pathology and evolutionary biology? Will you then join the Biosystems group in developing new insights to enhance crop resistance?

Brassica vegetables (cabbages) currently lack sufficient resistance to Xanthomonas black rot, its most serious bacterial disease. As a result, breeders urgently require new reservoirs of resistance. Wild Brassica species that co-evolved with Xanthomonas form a yet unexplored genomic reservoir of black rot resistance.

In this PhD project you will explore natural variation in immune receptor diversity across wild Brassica species. You will adopt an interdisciplinary approach that integrates genus-wide comparative genomics and functional studies to pinpoint immune receptors that can be used to secure robust black rot resistance in Brassica crops.This approach holds also potential in uncovering the evolutionary dynamics of plant immune systems and providing valuable insights for establishing durable disease resistance.

You will work here
This PhD project will be carried out within the research team of Dr. Klaas Bouwmeester. The work will be embedded within the chair Biosystematics headed by Prof. dr. Eric Schranz. Our group offers a stimulating and open-minded environment with both scientific and social activities. Your personal development will be supported by an individual training and supervision plan of the graduate school Experimental Plant Sciences.

Your qualities

We are looking for an enthusiastic PhD candidate with all or a subset of the following qualifications and characteristics:

• a successfully completed MSc degree in plant sciences, bioinformatics or a related discipline;
• a strong knowledge of plant-pathogen interactions and affinity with molecular plant genomics;
• hands-on experience with next-generation sequencing (preferably targeted enrichment sequencing), including DNA isolation and library preparation;
• demonstrable experience in computational omics analysis;
• excellent communication skills and an open collaborative attitude;
• fluency in oral and written English;  
• meets all entry requirements of the WUR PhD programme .

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 

level

. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found

here

.

We offer you

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment . A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• Partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.

The gross salary for the first year is € 2.770 - per month rising to € 3.539,-  in the fourth year in according to the

Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU)

(scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.

You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the “Best University ” in the Netherlands for the 19th consecutive time.

Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.

Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

Do you want more information?

For more information about this function, please contact dr. Klaas Bouwmeester, assistant professor Biosystematics, by email: [email protected] .

For more information about the procedure, please contact Noorien Abbas, corporate recruiter, by email: [email protected]

Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.

This vacancy will be listed up to and including Monday 1st April 2024. We plan to schedule the first job interviews in mid April 2024.

Additional information form
For this position, you must fill in a mandatory form  which will allow us to have a comprehensive view of your qualifications and better assess your fit for it. You can access the form using the link below:

https://forms.office.com/e/SBw179kSWR   

Your prompt response will ensure that your application continues to move forward in the evaluation process. We assure you that the information provided will be kept confidential and used solely for this application process.

Equal opportunities
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment .

We are

Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch this video to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.