The Department of Plant Physiology which is part of Umeå Plant Science Centre seeks to fill two postdoctoral positions who will work in Stephan Wenkel’s research group on a project aimed at studying the role microProteins in plant development. The employment is full-time for two years with access on February 1st, 2023 or according to agreement.
Last day to apply: January 6, 2023
Project description and working tasks
We are recruiting two postdoctoral researchers to work on a two-year project (extension possible) aimed at manipulating plant development using microProtein engineering. MicroProteins are small single-domain proteins that have been shown to control diverse biological pathways (see e.g., Hong et al., PNAS, 2020). In the project we will employ a combination of genome-engineering approaches and protein engineering in tomato to modulate microProtein expression and activity.
Qualifications
A person who has been awarded a doctorate or a foreign qualification deemed to be the equivalent of a doctorate, in qualifies for employment as a postdoctoral fellow. Priority should be given to candidates who have completed their doctoral degree no more than three years before the closing date of the application. A candidate who has completed their degree prior to this may be considered if special circumstances exist. Special circumstances include absence due to illness, parental leave or clinical practice, appointments of trust in trade unions or similar circumstances. Postdoctoral fellows who are to teach or supervise must have taken relevant courses in teaching and learning in higher education.
The doctoral degree should be within plant molecular biology or biotechnology. Experience with omics data analyses and plants (especially Arabidopsis and tomato) as model system is required. The ability to independently plan your work and further your insight in the research question as well as cooperate in a team, and good oral and written communication skills in the English language, are required. The candidates should have extensive laboratory experience with biochemical methods and molecular biology. The candidates should also have documented experience from or knowledge of inter- and intra-cellular signaling mechanisms. We value your creativity, ability to communicate and take initiatives.
Research Environment
The Department of Plant Physiology is part of Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC) which is a centre of excellence for experimental plant research and forest biotechnology in Northern Sweden. Our mission is to perform excellent and innovative basic research and generate knowledge that benefits forestry, agriculture, environment and society. We work across a wide range of disciplines in plant science reaching from cell biology to ecophysiology and from basic research to industrial applications. Our common goal is to understand the plants’ ability to grow, adapt and acclimate to a changing world and how we can breed better plants.
UPSC belongs to two universities, Umeå University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). About 200 people from more than 40 different nationalities work here. We host some 30 principal investigators, and our researchers have access to state-of-the-art analytical platforms, unique tree germplasm resources and plant growth facilities. We strive for a collaborative work environment and support our scientists throughout all career stages by providing professional training opportunities and individual career mentoring.
About Umeå University
Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest institutions of higher education with over 37,000 students and 4,800 faculty and staff. We are characterised by world-leading research in several scientific fields and a multitude of educations ranked highly in international comparison. Umeå University is also the site of the pioneering discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 genetic scissors – a revolution in genetic engineering that has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
At Umeå University, everything is nearby. Our cohesive campus environment makes it easy to meet, collaborate and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture where we rejoice in each other’s successes.
Contact
If you have questions regarding the position, please contact Stephan Wenkel, stephan.wenkel@umu.se, The Department of Plant Physiology values the qualities that an even gender distribution brings to the department, and therefore we particularly encourage women to apply for the position.
Application
The application should contain:
- A personal letter that describes your qualifications, research interests, and motivation for application
- CV with full publication list
- Certified copies of doctoral degree certificate or equivalent and other relevant degree certificates and grades
- Copy of doctoral thesis
- Other documents wished to be claimed
The application must be written in English or Swedish. The application is made through our electronic recruitment system from Umeå University: https://www.umu.se/en/work-with-us/open-positions/two-postdoctoral-positions-2-years-in-plant-developmental-biology_573903/, registration number AN 2.2.1-1917-22.
Documents sent electronically must be in Word or PDF format. Log in to the system and apply via the button at the end of this page. The closing date is January 6, 2023.