PhD position: Sweet or sour - how the nectar microbiome shapes the pollinator community in brassicaceous plants

We are looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate in the field of insect-flower-microbe interactions who would like to unravel the effect of nectar microbes on flower visiting insects.

Pollination by insects is rewarded with floral nectar. However, as a nutrient-rich and well-protected environment, flower nectar also supports a diverse community of beneficial, commensal, and antagonistic microbes. These microorganisms influence the interaction between the plant and its pollinators, but also with nectar robbers and flower-feeding herbivores by altering the nutritional value and the chemical composition of the nectar. Despite the importance of pollination for seed production of many brassicaceous crops, little is known on the role of the nectar microbiome for plant fitness and seed set in these plants. Besides plant fitness, nectar microbes also impact pollinator health and thereby strongly influence the pollinator community beyond individual plant-pollinator interactions.

The central questions of this PhD project are (I) does the microbiome in the flower nectar influences plant-pollinator interactions and plant fitness, (II) can specific microbes be used to improve seed set in brassicaceous crops as well as pollinator health.

As a PhD candidate, you will contribute to fundamental research in the context of sustainable crop production. You will be embedded in a diverse group of international scientists and collaborate with colleagues from both in- and outside Wageningen University & Research.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• Designing and executing experiments with flowering plants, microbes and mutualistic and antagonistic insect flower visitors in the greenhouse and in the field.
• Analyse complex data sets involving e.g. metabarcode sequencing
• Chemical analysis of flower nectar using HPLC and GC-MS techniques.
• Supervise MSc and BSc students
• Writing and presenting research at/in internationally renowned conferences/journals

You will work here
The research is embedded within the Laboratory of Entomology Lab of Entomology - WUR, which is led by Prof. Bregje Wertheim (Bregje Wertheim - Wageningen University & Research). You will be co-supervised by Dr. Alexander Haverkamp (Alexander Haverkamp - Wageningen University & Research) and Dr. Karen Kloth (Karen Kloth - Wageningen University & Research). Your project is part of the MiCRop Consortium programme on microbial imprinting of crop resilience to (a)biotic stresses (https://www.microp.org)). Within MiCRop, you will receive training and scientific exposure on plant-microbiome interactions and will regularly meet and collaborate with junior and senior scientists from six universities and institutes in the Netherlands.

For this project we are looking for an enthusiastic and skilled PhD candidate that is happy to work at the intersection of pollination-plant interactions, microbial biology and chemical ecology.

You also possess:

• A creative and proactive team player that would like to work in a multidisciplinary environment
• A successfully completed MSc degree in Biology, Plant Sciences or related field
• A background in plant-insect and/or plant-microbiome interactions, and affinity for working with bumblebees, butterflies, moths and caterpillars.
• Experience with molecular techniques and bioinformatics is recommended
• Knowledge of analytic chemistry is an advantage
• Excellent communication skills in English and experience with scientific writing

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.

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;
• 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 year-end 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 € 2.901,- per month rising to € 3.707,- 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 12 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

Wageningen University & Research offers plenty of opportunities for growth and development, with a strong internal recruitment policy and excellent training programmes.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment. For 20 consecutive years, we have been voted the "best university" in the Netherlands! A place to be proud of.

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 the video below 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.