PhD fellow within root health biology

10th January 2024
Languages
English

• English

English
The Department of Plant Sciences at NMBU is looking for a PhD fellow within root health biology
PhD fellow within root health biology
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About the position

The Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has a vacant three-year PhD position related to “Substrate properties and its impact on rhizosphere microenvironment and root health”.

Peat-based substrate cultivation is common practice in protected crop production systems, especially in horticulture crops, but the impact of peat usage on the ecosystem and carbon storage demands environmentally friendly alternatives. A residue of feed production from woody biomass will be used to develop an alternative growing medium for professional horticulture.

The PeatFree project financed by the RCN includes scientists in biology, soil chemistry and soil physics, and international and national collaboration partners.  

The selected candidate will work on formulations based on the residual woody material together with other additives. These formulations will be tested for their potential as alternatives to peat via examination of physical, chemical, and biological properties. Further, effects on root health and root architecture, as well as on host-induced resistance to foliar and root diseases will be examined using strawberry and cucumber as model crops.

Main tasks

The aim of the PhD project is to better understand the effects of alternative substrates on biological properties and plant performance in horticultural crops.

• 1. Conduct greenhouse experiments with model crops to evaluate the effect of different substrate formulations on root development, architecture, and rhizosphere microbiome.
• 2. Examine the potential effect of different substrate formulations on host resistance to gray mold and other root diseases.
• 3. Transcriptomic analyses (RNA-seq) to understand more of how biochar affects plant resistant to diseases.
• 4. Analysis of data and writing manuscripts for peer-reviewed scientific journals

The successful candidate is expected to enter a plan for the progress of the work towards a PhD degree during the first months of the appointment, with a view to completing a doctorate within the PhD scholarship period.

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Competence

The successful applicant must meet the conditions defined for admission to a PhD program at NMBU with documented strong academic background from previous studies. For more detailed information on the admission criteria please see the PhD Regulations and the relevant PhD program description .

Required Academic qualification:

• Completed MSc with 120 credits corresponding to Norwegian master’s degree program within the area of phytopathology/plant biology/plant fungal interaction.
• Documented proficiency in English (written and spoken)

 The following experiences and skills will be emphasized:

• Hands-on experience in fungal phytopathology/microbiology
• Experience from experimental work with plants
• Ability to design and execute experiments with statistical data analysis.
• Skills and wet lab experience in molecular biology techniques

Personal characteristics:

• Being highly motivated for a PhD education within this field
• Self-motivated with strong analytical capacity with a proactive and positive attitude on research
• Ability to work independently as well as in team with good collaborative skills.

Remuneration and further information

The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1017. PhD fellows are normally placed in pay grade 54 NOK 532 200 on the Norwegian government salary scale upon employment and follow ordinary merit regulations.

Employment is conducted according to national guidelines for University and Technical college PhD scholars.

For further information, please contact project leader Hans Ragnar Gislerød, email: [email protected] ; phone 47 67232802 or assoc. professor Anne-Berit Wold, E-mail: [email protected] ; phone +47 67232813.

Information for PhD applicants  and general information to applicants

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Application

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply for this job' button above. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Application deadline: 10.01.2024

Your CV must be entered in JobbNorge's CV form and not just included as an attachment. This is to be able to comply with the regulations of §15 of the Public Administration Act.

In the application, the candidate must confirm that information and documentation (in the form of attachments) submitted via the job application can also be used by NMBU in a possible admission process.

Applicants invited for an interview are expected to present original diplomas and certificates.

The following documents must be attached to the application:

• Motivation letter (maximum 1 page)
• Complete CV 
• Certified copies of academic diplomas and certificates. (i.e. Di-ploma, transcript. Diploma supplement for both bachelor and master). Diplomas, transcripts and diploma supplements that are not in Norwegian or English must be uploaded in the original language. An English translation of these documents must also be attached.
• Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement, or a similar document, which describes in detail the study program and grading system.
• Documentation of proficiency in written and oral English in accordance with NMBU PhD regulation section 5-2 (3) . 
• Names and contact details for two references
• Additional relevant documentation of professional knowledge (for example, list of scientific works). If it is difficult to judge the applicant’s contribution for publications with multiple authors, a short description of the applicant’s contribution must be included.

About The Faculty of Biosciences

The Faculty of Biosciences (BIOVIT) aims to help shape the future food- and bio-production through teaching and research within biology and sustainable production and use of plants, livestock and fish. The faculty has an annual turnover of approx. 250 million kroner. The faculty is organized into nine research sections: Genome Biology, Breeding and

Quantitative Genetics, Ruminant Nutrition and Physiology, Ethology and Animal Environment, Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Agroecology, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Plant Protection and Food Crops, Plant Biology and Biotechnology. The faculty has seven large and small research centers and laboratories, including a Center for Outstanding Innovation  - Foods of Norway. The faculty is responsible for bachelor's and master's degrees in Aquaculture, Biology, Animal Science and Plant science as well as English-language master's degrees in Agroecology, Plant Sciences, Feed Manufacturing Technology and Genome Sciences.

The faculty is responsible for PhD degrees in animal science and plant science. The faculty currently has about 690 bachelor and master students and 90 PhD students. The faculty has about 240 employees and its own faculty administration.

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The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)

NMBU will contribute to securing the future of life through outstanding research, education, communication and innovation. We have the country's most satisfied university students, who receive research-based education in a unique student environment. Our graduates gain a high level of competence in interdisciplinary collaboration and are popular in the labor market. NMBU has internationally leading research environments in several subjects. Together with our partners in society and business, we contribute to solving some of the biggest societal challenges of our time.

We focus on innovation, communication and entrepreneurship because we believe these challenges are best solved with joint efforts. We believe that a good working environment is characterized by diversity.If necessary, workplace adaptations will be made for persons with disabilities. More information about NMBU is available at www.nmbu.no/en

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Deadline

10th January 2024

Employer

Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)

Municipality

Ås

Scope

Fulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)

Duration

Fixed Term

Place of service
Universitetstunet 3, 1430 Ås

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