项目介绍

2026年4月25日

Would you like to be part of innovative research on the genetic, molecular, cellular and physiological basis of plant life? This PhD position offers a supportive research environment where you can contribute to fundamental plant biology with relevance for future crop innovation.

Plants have the fascinating ability to regenerate from a single cell or a damaged tissue. This ability requires extensive changes in, amongst other things, cell programming and patterning. Current methods for hormone-induced regeneration in tissue culture often give limited and unpredictable results. Even in optimal conditions only a few cells or groups of cells make the switch to regeneration and yet fewer manage to form the organised cell patterns of a new shoot or root. Cell and tissue polarity guide, for example, local accumulation of molecules and cell division patterns, which are essential processes during regeneration. In this PhD project, you will combine studies on cell polarity, cell division and plant hormones to investigate how cellular patterns and signals help specific cellsto switch to regeneration and be successful.

Reliable and reproducible plant regeneration is a key factor for successful propagation of many crops, yet detailed insights in their regeneration processes are limited. In this project, you will use tomato as a main model species, supplemented with work in Arabidopsis thaliana.

You will use molecular techniques, cell biology, tissue culture and advanced imaging to study cellular processes during regeneration.

You will assist in teaching the new Crop Biotechnology and Engineering (CBE) MSc programme, for example by supervising tutorials or assisting during practicals. This position has a teaching load of up to 10% of your working time. 

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate. 

At Radboud University, I can fully focus on expanding my expertise while learning from my peers and mentors.Noemí Segura-SoléPhD candidate in Microbial EcologyRead Noemí’s story

Does this sound like you?

Essential qualifications:

• You hold a MSc degree in biology, plant biology or a related field.
• You have a strong interest in plant developmental biology, cell biology and regeneration.
• You have hands-on experience with molecular and experimental plant biology.
• You enjoy working on pioneering projects in a collaborative environment.

Desirable skills:

• You have experience with advanced microscopy, molecular biology techniques and/or plant tissue culture.
• You have experience in image analysis.
• You are interested in developing your teaching skills. 

What we offer you

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).     
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,881 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University’s primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. In addition, you receive a 34% discount on the sports and cultural activities at Radboud University as an employee. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.