IntroductionThe mission of the
Plant Hormone Biology group is to understand the chemical communication of plants with other organisms in their environment. We study how plants produce and secrete signaling molecules from their roots and how this affects the behavior of other organisms in the soil. Plant roots house one of the most diverse, yet vastly neglected, microbial communities on Earth. The aim of the Gravitation program,
MiCRop, is to harness the genomic potential of root microbes as a new platform for improved stress resilience of future crops and sustainable food production.
Working with groups at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), Vrije Universiteit (VU), Utrecht University (UU), Wageningen University (WU) and The Netherlands Institute for Ecological Research (NIOO), we will unlock how wild and cultivated plant species, across the plant kingdom, recruit their microbial partners to cope with environmental stress and harness microbiome functions to optimize future crop resilience and performance in a changing climate. In collaboration with partners around the world, this knowledge will form the basis for a new era of microbiome-assisted agriculture. To further strengthen the outreach of MiCRop, we are looking for an outreach worker.
What are you going to doYou will provide information using content you generate, with input of the MiCRop scientific team, on MiCRop-related topics that will be shared through Dutch and international printed, electronic and social media. You will advise on and contact public institutions and organisations, such as musea and fairs, to plan, budget and realise outreach activities. The objective of your activities is to make the general public and farmers aware of the importance of the plant microbiome for a healthy and sustainable agriculture.
Tasks and responsibilities
- provide information using content you generate on MiCRop-related topics for printed, electronic and social media;
- initiate and facilitate production and publication of short videos and podcasts;
- advise on, plan and budget collaboration with musea and provide input on content;
- plan, budget and realise MiCRop contributions to events, such as open days, Agricultural Fairs, Researcher nights,
Plant fascination day (in cooperation with the Outreach & Operational Support Officer);
- organize MiCRop outreach/dissemination-related activities (in cooperation with the Outreach & Operational Support Officer);
- participate in and provide support for program meetings.