PhD scholarship in Plant-Microbe Biochemistry (BestPass) ESR8
BestPass: Boosting plant-endophyte stability, compatibility and performance across scales
The University of Copenhagen is offering a PhD scholarship in Plant-Microbe Interactions with expected commencement 1 February 2016 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Project title: ESR8: Plant-endophyte interactions as source for bioactive terpenes
Objectives: Terpene specialised metabolites are a key to plant-microbe interaction as they play key roles in plant defence and in communication. The terpenoid biosynthetic pathway in plants colonised by mutualistic symbionts such as Piriformospora indica, is heavily induced in the interaction, but the nature and roles of the terpenoids are unknown. The objective is to understand terpenoid biosynthesis in these specific systems (tomato- P. indica interaction as model) and to increase the functional enzymes in our terpene toolbox for production of novel bioactive terpenoids by:
•Identification of small molecules of the terpene class in the plant-endophyte interaction (metabolomics)
• Discovery of terpene biosynthetic genes in deep transcriptomes of colonised roots (transcriptomics), guided by the metabolomics
• Functional characterisation and reconstruction of terpene biosynthesis in the rapid transient expression plant species Nicotiana benthamiana
Principal supervisor: Associate Prof Björn Robert Hamberger bjoernh@plen.ku.dk, Phone: +45 35 33 33 28, Allison Maree Heskes amh@plen.ku.dk and Professor David B. Collinge, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, dbc@plen.ku.dk, Phone: +45 35 33 33 56
Planned secondments: Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), Großbeeren, Germany, Roombiotic, Graz, Austria and Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA.
BestPass
We need to increase the crop yield while reducing pesticide and use of inorganic fertiliser to meet the challenges of world population growth and climate change. Plant endophytic microorganisms can improve plant yield and enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stress as well as to pathogens under experimental conditions, but these effects are often not sufficiently stable for practical application.
How do we boost the stability and reliability of the positive effects of endophytes on plants?
We need to understand the genetic basis of beneficial interactions between crops and endophytes and extend this basic knowledge of phenotypic plasticity to all interaction levels from the cellular to the field environment. This requires research into the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of endophytes, including intra and inter-kingdom exchange and distribution of resources (nutrients). Key signalling and possibly regulatory processes between and inside the partners, the mutual induced production of secondary metabolites and the environmental cues which influence crop-endophyte interactions will be deciphered. The genetic variation and its plasticity in host and microbe will be exploited in to establish crop breeding and inoculum production processes for boosting the establishment and stability of plant-microbe mutualisms to benefit crop development, stress tolerance, pathogen resistance and quality.
In BestPass we will provide fundamental biological as well as practical knowledge about interactions between endophytes and plants. This improved understanding will pave the way for increased use of endophytes to improve sustainability and plant productivity in a reliable way.
BestPass is an International Training Network (ITN) funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 676480.
Job description
The position is available for a 3-year period. Your key tasks as a PhD student in BestPass at Science are:
•Participate in the research environment at PLEN and the network activities of BestPass
•Manage and carry through your research project
•Take PhD courses
•Write scientific articles and your PhD thesis
•Participate in congresses
•Teach and disseminate your research
Key criteria for the assessment of candidates
•A master’s degree related to the subject area of the project
•The grade point average achieved
•Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD programme
•Relevant biological research experience.
oPrimary skills: specialized metabolites/phytochemistry, plant bioassays/plant-fungal interaction, transcriptomics
oRelevant skills: bioinformatics, functional genomics, i.e. heterologous expression, terpene biosynthesis
•Previous research publications
•Other professional activities
•Language skills: fluency in English
Formal requirements and eligibility
At the time of commencement, it is required that the candidates have not been awarded a doctorate degree and are within the first 4 years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers. Furthermore, the candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Denmark for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Short stays, such as holidays, are not taken into account.
Terms of employment
Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State and according to the rules and regulations laid down by European Union’s Horizon 2020 Marie Curie Initial Training Networks.
The position is covered by the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff
The starting salary is currently at a minimum DKK 306,667 including annual supplement (+ pension up to DKK 42,361). Negotiation for salary supplement is possible.
Place of Employment
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen.
Please notice that this PhD fellowship entails three secondments, Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), Großbeeren, Germany; Roombiotic, Graz, Austria and Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA.
Application Procedure
The application, in English, must be submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.
Please include
• Cover Letter, stating which PhD project you are applying for and detailing your motivation and background for applying for the specific PhD project.
•Please indicate if (and which) you have applied for other BestPass PhD fellowships
•Max 1-page proposal for research activities to pursue in the PhD study program
•CV
•Diploma and transcripts of records (BSc and MSc)
•1-3 professional referees (Name, address, telephone & email)
•Documentation of English language qualifications
•Other information for consideration, e.g. list of publications (if any)
The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.
The deadline for applications is 1 November 2015. Applications received later than this date will not be considered.
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Interview Committee. Afterwards an assessment committee will be appointed to evaluate the selected applications. The applicants will be notified of the composition of the committee and the final selection of a successful candidate will be made by the Head of Department, based on the recommendations of the assessment committee and the interview committee.
The main criterion for selection will be the research potential of the applicant and the above mentioned skills. The successful candidate will then be requested to formally apply for enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD school of Science.
You can read about the recruitment process at http://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.
Questions
Associate Prof Björn Robert Hamberger bjoernh@plen.ku.dk, Phone: +45 35 33 33 28, Allison Maree Heskes amh@plen.ku.dk and Professor David B. Collinge, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, dbc@plen.ku.dk, Phone: +45 35 33 33 56
General information about BestPass can be obtained at http://plen.ku.dk/english/research/microbial-ecology-and-biotechnology/microbial-interactions/endophytic-fungal-interactions/ or by contacting Project Coordinator, David Collinge Professor David B. Collinge, Deptartment of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, dbc@plen.ku.dk, Phone: +45 35 33 33 56.
General information about PhD programmes at SCIENCE is available at www.science.ku.dk/phd.
