Postdoctoral Researcher in Wood Formation

Postdoctoral Researcher in Wood Formation

SLU - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Umeå, Sweden

About the position

The Wood Cell Wall Architecture group at the Umeå Plant Science Center is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to identify and characterise novel cellular components that control and coordinate the development of secondary cell walls in growing trees. The project revolves around partially redundant, poorly understood gene families acting in wood formation. Specifically, the successful applicant will drive a multi-target gene-editing screen in Populus to pierce redundancy and reveal secondary cell wall phenotypes, followed by mechanistic characterisation of candidate genes through in situ microscopy/microspectroscopy, cell wall biochemistry and proximity-labelling proteomics.

Beyond this core framework, I will provide space and support for the chosen applicant to develop their own research ideas, using new data or lines from a similar screen previously performed in Arabidopsis. Being in a newly set-up group, the chosen applicant will face some additional work in establishing routines, but will in return have considerable influence on the direction of the group’s research.

Your profile

We are looking for applicants that have a collaborative mindset, are intrinsically motivated and strive for scientific independence. A PhD in the biological or biochemical sciences and very good skills in written and spoken English are requirements for the position. To support the career development of junior researchers, applicants within 3 years of finishing their PhD will be preferred.

The practical interpretation of this project can to some extent be adapted to the interests and strengths of the chosen applicant. Expertise in any of the following can be an advantage, but none is obligatory:

• Reproducible data analysis in R/Python/Julia;
• Cell wall biochemistry;
• Plant in vitroculture work;
• In situmicroscopy and microspectroscopy;
• Gene editing;
• Protein biochemistry/proteomics.