Brief project overview:

Understanding plant development and responses to the environment is key for improving crop yields and ensuring food and fuel for the future. Many crop species have evolved adaptations that make them more tolerant against abiotic stresses, such as drought, flooding and soil salinity. One of these adaptations is the exodermis, a water- and air-proofed cell layer in the root that protects the root from drying and drowning. Although the importance of the exodermis for crop yield has been shown, development of it is not understood at the molecular level, partly because it’s absent in the root model species Arabidopsis. We aim to elucidate the mechanisms involved in exodermal development and drought responses in tomato. To achieve this, novel tools are combined in an efficient way to study root development of a crop species in a short timeframe. Tools used for this project can include bioinformatic analyses of new cell type-specific datasets, rapid hairy root cultures, genome editing by CRISPR/Cas9, ectopic expression constructs, plate-based water deficit treatments, ChIP-seq, qRT-PCR, and confocal microscopy.

The core tasks will include:

• carrying out the research outlined above;
• (co-)supervising PhD and MSc students;
• communicating the research to wide audiences (scientific, industry, general public) through publications, conference presentations and outreach activities.

We are looking for someone who:

• will hold a PhD degree in molecular plant physiology or other relevant research field;
• has a strong track record in molecular tools (cloning);
• has the potential and excitement to expand his/her scientific and technical knowledge;
• has scientific excellence, as evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed journals;
• has experience in supervising MSc students (or equivalent research interns);
• is organized and efficient, able to work within international/multidisciplinary teams and think conceptually;
• is fluent in English;
• has great writing and communication skills.

The candidate is offered a full-time position for 1 year which can be extended for another year after good evaluations. The gross salary is in the range between €3,111 and maximum €4,084 (scale 10 Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) gross per month for a full-time employment.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The Faculty of Science consists of six departments: Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Information and Computing Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry and Mathematics. The Faculty is home to 5,600 students and nearly 1,500 staff and is internationally renowned for the quality of its research. The Faculty's academic programmes reflect developments in today's society. Read the overall impression 2016 of the Faculty of Science.

The Plant Ecophysiology group is an internationally recognized plant research group embedded within the Institute of Environmental Biology at Utrecht University, one of Europe’s leading research universities. We are a highly dynamic and competitive research group with multiple national and international collaborations. Successful candidates can expect to work with a highly ambitious, creative and international team of PhD students, post-docs, tenured staff and research assistants.