项目介绍

2025年11月22日

Just like all other organisms, plants also communicate, not only with their own species, but also with hundreds other organisms surrounding them using the language of chemistry. In this project, you will decode a hybrid chemical language jointly made by plants and their associated microbes. Intriguingly, this language can also be perceived by parasitic nematodes. You will uncover how this language is created from plant side through transcriptome and metabolomics data analysis and biochemical characterization of plant genes. By knocking out or silencing the candidate genes you will study the function of this language for plants, microbes and nematodes. You will be involved in Microbial Imprinting for Crop Resilience (MiCRop) consortia and have opportunities to interact with 5 other groups working on the plant microbiome interactions in the Netherlands.

This is what you will do

The mission of the Plant Hormone Biology group is to understand the chemical communication of plants with other organisms in their environment. With an international and diverse team of post-docs, PhDs and technicians with expertise varying from analytical chemistry to biochemistry and molecular biology we study how plants use signaling molecules to affect the behavior of other organisms in the rhizosphere. This includes communication with microbial communities that have been shown to play a crucial role in the protection of plants against a range of stresses. Our research is aimed at understanding the biological relevance of this chemical communication and using it as a basis for improving resistance and harnessing the potential of beneficial root microbes resulting in improved stress resilience in crops for sustainable food production with reduced inputs.

You will be responsible for identification of plant genes and precursors involved in a triterpenoid biosynthesis. Biosynthetic candidate genes will be functionally characterized, using transient overexpression and gene silencing approaches. Finally, you will knock out a selection of the most interesting genes by stable transformation using CRISPR/Cas9. Through these knockout lines you will study the function of this triterpenoid for plants, microbes and nematodes.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• complete a PhD thesis within the official appointment duration of four years;
• perform your experiments in a systematic and well controlled manner and keep accurate records by properly documenting and organizing your work;
• be an active member of the research group and take responsibility for shared tasks. Discuss your work with group members and during consortium meetings. Incorporate feedback and give input to others;
• present your results at (inter)national scientific meetings;
• help with writing project reports;
• take a leading role in writing and publishing manuscripts;
• participate in the Faculty of Science PhD training program and the training program of the Experimental School of Plant Sciences;
• assist in teaching and supervising Bachelor and Master theses and tutoring students.

What we ask of you

You are passionate about science and have a particular interest in experimental plant biology and the plant metabolism. You enjoy performing experimental work (e.g. molecular biology, analytical chemistry using LC-MS, plant transformation), as well as data analysis and writing. You enjoy working in a multidisciplinary team and are a team player. You have good communication skills as you will be expected to discuss your results with a large group of partners and in (inter)national meetings.

Your experience and profile:

You have/are:

• a Master in Biology or Plant Science;
• experience with experimental work in plants;
• experience with omics analysis (especially transcriptomics and metabolomics);
• experience with data analysis using R or related program languages;
• affinity with plant metabolism;
• affinity with biochemistry and analytical chemistry;
• fluency in English, both written and spoken.

This is what we offer you

A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). The preferred starting date is as soon as possible. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.

Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €3.059 in the first year to €3.881 (scale P) in the last year. This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile PhD candidate applicable The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Curious about our extensive secondary benefits package? You can read more about it here.