The root system of plants is responsible for the plants anchorage to the soil as well as the the uptake of water and nutrients. The precise architecture of the root system is thus a major determinant of plant fitness. Root system architecture arises from the repeated formation of branches, so called lateral roots, from already existing roots, giving rise to an iteratively branched architecture. Intriguingly, lateral roots initially arise on the inside of roots and as they grow and develop have to carve their way through overlaying tissues in order to enter the soil and start contributing to water and nutrient acquisition.

The lateral root developmental process proceeds through a sequence of stages, and the multi-purpose plant hormone auxin and its interplay with key transcription factors has been identified to play a key role in each of these stages, impacting the patterning of divisions and cell fate. However, how exactly one stage proceeds to the next has thusfar remained largely unexplored. Additionally, in recent years a major role for tissue mechanics has been elucidated, with changes in cell water content and cell wall extensibility playing critical roles in enabling the start of lateral root development, shaping the developing lateral root primordium and the emergence of the lateral root from within the main root. While interactions between auxin patterning and water transport and cell wall mechanics have been found,  how the interplay between all these processes together organize lateral root formation has remained largely unexplored.

Goal of the current project is to develop detailed computational simulation models of the development of lateral roots, incorporating the involved changes in gene expression, hormone distribution patterns, water transport and cell wall mechanical properties. The aim is to obtain an understanding of how the interplay between genetic and hormonal regulatory processes and tissue mechanics together, in a robust, self-organized manner, shape lateral root development. An additional objective is to elucidate how different environmental factors, ranging from nutrient availability to soil water potential, may impact lateral root formation and whether different environmental conditions do so at different checkpoints of this developmental process.

The selected candidate will work in the group of prof. Kirsten ten Tusscher at the Computational Developmental Biology group at Utrecht University. The project is aimed to start November 2019.

We are looking for motivated candidates with a background in Computational Biology, Computer Science, Physics or Mathematics. Candidates should have a genuine interest in applying mathematical and computational techniques to achieve biological insights, and experience with computer programming and simulation. Additionally, applicants should have excellent English oral, writing and presentation skills. 

The candidate is offered a full-time position for 1 year with an extension for a further three years if the evaluation is positive in case of a PhD position, or extension for a further two years in case of a Postdoctoral position.

The gross salary is in the range between €2,325 and maximum €2,972 (scale P Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month.The salary is supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8,3% per year. In addition we offer a pension scheme, a partially paid parental leave, flexible employment conditions. The research group will provide the candidate with necessary support on all aspects of the project. More information is available on our website.

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The Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics Group is part of the Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity (IBB) of the Department of Biology and studies the functioning of complex biological systems using mathematical and computational models and bioinformatic approaches. Research areas covered are bioinformatic and modeling studies of the immune system, computational developmental biology of animals and plants, and bioinformatic and modeling studies of evolutionary processes. The research of our group is part of the Life Sciences and Biocomplexity and the Infection and Immunity focus areas of Utrecht University.