Plant photosynthesis is the most important biological process, facilitating nearly all of life on earth. It is also the main driver of plant production, converting solar energy into sugars as building blocks for plant biomass and crop yield. Despite very successful breeding efforts to improve crop yield in the past, very little of this improvement can be attributed to an improvement in photosynthesis efficiency. This despite the fact that there is genetic variation for photosynthesis efficiency, although the genes involved have not yet been characterized. In this project, you will follow up on previous quantitative genetic analysis of time-resolved photosynthesis efficiency obtained through our Phenovator facility on the Arabidopsis HapMap population. You will re-analyse the phenotypic data in collaboration with statistical support from WUR-Biometris and you will identify loci and underlying candidate genes involved in contributing to Arabidopsis photosynthesis efficiency under different conditions. You will investigate those candidate genes to identify the actual genetic variation underlying the selected loci and you will elucidate the function of those genes. Together with participating companies in the project, you will explore the options to use the information thus obtained on Arabidopsis to breed for improved photosynthesis efficiency in crop species.

We are looking for an ambitious scientist and an enthusiastic team player with the following qualifications:

• An excellent academic record in plant sciences (PhD), particularly in quantitative and molecular genetics.
• Expertise with Arabidopsis biotechnology or photosynthesis physiology.
• Strong affinity with statistics and plant phenotyping
• Excellent oral and written English communication skills

We offer you a position in a lively research environment in the expanding field of photosynthesis research, in close collaboration with staff, PhD and MSc students, and representatives of participating plant breeding companies; there will be opportunities to expand your scientific knowledge through courses, conferences and training. The position can be 0.8 or 1.0 fte, initially for 12 months which will be extended with another 12 months based on your performance (based on full time employment of 38 h/week). Gross salary per month will be between € 3.238 and € 4.084 (based on 1.0 fte). In addition, we offer a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-the-year bonus of 8.3% of your annual salary.

Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University and Research (Wageningen UR) is a leading international organization in the life sciences, particularly in the field of healthy nutrition and living environment. With 6,500 employees and 10,000 students from more than 100 countries, Wageningen UR is a truly international organisation operating across the world. The scientific quality of research performed at Wageningen UR is evidenced by several international rankings and citation indices. The quality of Wageningen University as an institute of academic education is shown by its repeated top rank in the Netherlands for several studies, including biology. Research within the Laboratory of Genetics centres around the interrelationship between genetics, heredity and evolution, and takes place within the Department of Plant Sciences. Current research addresses the following three themes: (1) Generating variation; (2) Genetics and levels of selection, and (3) Genetics of adaptations. A range of experimental model systems are used, including bacteria, fungi, plants and insects. The group of Prof Mark Aarts studies the molecular genetics of plant adaptation to the abiotic environment using natural genetic variation, mostly in Arabidopsis and related species.