Wageningen UR has a global reputation for its ground-breaking research and innovative education in the fields of food and health, sustainable agrosystems, the rural environment, and societal development – all of which make an essential contribution to the quality of life, i.e. the supply of safe and healthy food and drink, on the one hand, and the chance to live, work and play in a balanced ecosystem with a large variety of plants and animals on the other.
- Position : PhD
- Project detail : Infectious plant diseases are a major threat to food security and sustainable food production. They cause severe yield losses and can have enormous social impacts. A well-known example is late blight, the disease that led to the Great Irish famine in 1845, and continues to be a major treat for potato and tomato cultivation worldwide. Extensive research on this pathosystem has already identified several key determinants crucial for either infection or defense. So far, however, this research was restricted to single genes or, occasionally, gene families and mostly focussed on one of the partners, host or pathogen. This project aims at developing an integrative model of the P. infestans-host interaction at the Protein and metabolite level. We make use of a unique 'in vitro infection system' based on co-cultivation of P. infestans with Solanum cells grown in suspension. The advantages of this system over lesions on leaves are synchronized infection, higher infection rates and the accessibility for microscopy. We have already collected extensive transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics data sets of this system.
- Job Description : Your task is to combine these rich data sets with available genome-scale data of host and pathogen for integrative analyses, involving the reconstruction of metabolic networks and physical Protein interaction networks, both within and between pathogen and host. This will result in a high-level model of the molecular events at the interface between host and pathogen that can then be explored to formulate testable hypotheses on key molecules or interactions and may ultimately provide leads for innovative control strategies. You will be part of a team that includes 'wet lab' scientists from the Laboratory of Phytopathology with ample experience on Phytophthora pathosystems and computational scientists from the Bioinformatics group, experts in data integration and modelling.
Desired Profile :
- an excellent academic record (MSc) in Bioinformatics, systems biology, genomics or a related area
- interest in systems biology and multidisciplinary approaches
- proven proficiency in the Bioinformatics analysis of large genomics data sets
- affinity with host-microbe interactions and plant or microbial genomics
- excellent oral and written communication skills in English
Terms of employment :
- We offer the research environment of two young, dynamic and driven groups with a strong international profile and large numbers of PhD students; a state-of-the art computational infrastructure; close collaboration with other PhD students, researchers and companies in the Plant Sciences; and the possibility to further develop your scientific education with courses, training, conferences. There will be opportunities to be involved in teaching at workshops or courses.
- The position is full-time (38 hours/week), initially for 1 year after which a go/no-go decision will be taken on extension with another three years. The gross salary in the first year is € 2083,- per month rising to € 2664,- in the fourth year for a full-time appointment.
Deadline : 15.11.14
APPLY NOW
Recent Admission :