Fully Funded PhD: Epigenetics & Rapid Plant Adaptation

Agri Opportunities; Utrecht; Hybrid; EUR 36,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday pay 8%

Year-end bonus 8.3%

Pension scheme

Job summary

Utrecht University is offering a PhD Researcher position to investigate if heritable epigenetic changes drive rapid adaptation in wild plants. The project uses CRISPR/Cas9 and Suntag-based editing in apomictic dandelions to connect DNA methylation with gene expression across generations.

Based in Utrecht with collaboration at NIOO-KNAW, Wageningen, the candidate should hold an MSc in a related field and have strong molecular biology experience.

Qualifications

• MSc in Molecular Biology, Genetics, Biotechnology, Plant Sciences, or related field
• Experience in molecular biology techniques
• Ability to communicate and organize work effectively
• Good command of written and spoken English

Responsibilities

• Develop and use state-of-the-art CRISPR/Cas9-based technologies to target DNA methylation maintenance machinery, inducing genome-wide hypomethylation to identify genes regulated by methylation
• Deploy an advanced, inducible Suntag-TET1cd epigenomic editing system to target specific candidate epialleles, proving the causal link between DNA methylation and gene expression
• Investigate the transgenerational stability of these epigenetic marks over multiple generations
• Collaborate closely with the second PhD project at NIOO-KNAW

Skills

Molecular biology techniques

Communication

Organization

English proficiency

Education

MSc in Molecular Biology, Genetics, Biotechnology, Plant Sciences, or related field

Tools

CRISPR/Cas9

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation

Bioinformatics

Plant tissue culture

DNA methylation analysis

Plant phenotyping or microscopy

Job description

Utrecht University is offering a PhD Researcher position to investigate if heritable epigenetic changes drive rapid adaptation in wild plants. The project uses CRISPR/Cas9 and Suntag-based editing in apomictic dandelions to connect DNA methylation with gene expression across generations.

Based in Utrecht with collaboration at NIOO-KNAW, Wageningen, the candidate should hold an MSc in a related field and have strong molecular biology experience.