Postdoctoral Researcher in Plant Genetics and Cell Wall Biology

Postdoctoral Researcher in Plant Genetics and Cell Wall Biology

University of Helsinki

Helsinki, Finland

The University of Helsinki Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme and the research group of Dr. Cezary Waszczak are seeking to hire a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to study Arabidopsis thaliana cell wall biology.

Scientific context and job description

We recently found that impaired acetylation of RG-I leads to a loss of epidermal cell adhesion. This project aims to achieve a genetic and molecular-level understanding of the impact of RG-I structure and acetylation on plant development, with a focus on cell adhesion and cellulose synthesis. Another core interest of the lab is RG-II (Waszczak et al., 2024), its dimerization and impact on cell expansion. In terms of methodology, we rely on forward genetic approaches, coupled with plant molecular biology and biochemistry. The successful candidate will be integrated into an international research team of experts in plant development and biochemistry and expected to participate in extensive collaborations, including mobility exchanges. Additionally, the candidate will be involved in supervision of doctoral researcher and M. Sc. students.

The position is fully funded; however, the candidate will be expected to apply for their own research funding from local and international funding agencies such as MSCA and EMBO. Therefore, priority will be given to candidates who meet the eligibility criteria for these fellowships.

Qualifications

• doctoral degree in plant biology, biochemistry or another relevant field obtained after 06/2024 - candidates finalizing their doctoral studies are especially encouraged to apply;
• experience in Arabidopsis research (mandatory), plant genetics and one or more of the following research areas: plant biochemistry, cell wall biology, metabolomics, plant developmental biology;
• ability to conceive, execute, and complete research projects;
• creativity and independent thinking;
• excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• at least one first author publication accepted/published in an international peer reviewed journal; high quality preprints deposited on public servers (BioRXiv, Research Square etc.) will also be considered as publications;
• documented grant writing experience is not required but highly desirable.