Postdoc Position: Context-dependent Plant Root Colonization by Bacterial Commensals

Postdoc Position: Context-dependent Plant Root Colonization by Bacterial Commensals

UvA - University of Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands

€ 3.546 - € 5.538 per month

Join Us!

Plant roots are colonized by highly diverse microbial communities which contribute essential functions for health and development of their hosts. Importantly, every plant species accommodates their own specific microbiome. In turn, bacteria seem to preferentially colonize certain hosts, which comes with a competitive advantage during invasion events. An open, intriguing question is how preferential colonization – previously detected through DNA sequencing and quantification of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene – is established on the living root in a spatiotemporal manner. Knowing what enables commensals within a community context to compete for their host will allow for informed design of and plant treatment with beneficial bacterial consortia in an agricultural setting.

This is what you will do

The goal of this project is to identify spatiotemporal patterns of bacterial root colonization within microbial communities. This will allow us to increase resolution beyond endpoint description of bacterial community composition to unravel how colonization dynamics are influenced by the presence or arrival of other bacterial species, and which role root metabolites play in this context.

You will employ a combination of molecular biology, fluorescence microscopy, and advanced metabolomics to decipher so far unknown patterns of root colonization of commensal bacteria on the model plants Arabidopsis thaliana and Lotus japonicus. Specifically, you will investigate if bacterial strains reside in specific niches along the host root, if this behavior is linked to the utilization of host-specific metabolites, and if strains with strong host preference can displace others. Importantly, you will use bacterial strains from our two host-specific culture collections, which initially allowed us to investigate host preference phenotypes. You will start by constructing fluorescence-tagged strains of diverse bacterial taxa. You will co-cultivate bacterial communities with plants under controlled conditions and determine colonization behavior along the plant roots via microscopy. Finally, you will identify root-secreted compounds differentially abundant between Arabidopsis and Lotus, and link changes in colonization patterns to the presence of other strains and host-specific metabolite utilization.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• 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 department meetings to incorporate feedback and give input to others.
• Take a leading role in writing and publishing manuscripts.
• Supervise Bachelor and Master internships and tutor students.
• Ownership and Initiative: We are particularly interested in candidates who can take ownership of their research project and demonstrate initiative in driving their work forward. As a postdoc, you will have the opportunity to shape the direction of your research and contribute novel ideas to the field.

You will get the opportunity to:

• present your results at (inter)national scientific conferences;
• expand your academic, professional, and personal skills;
• thrive in a team that values impactful research and mutual support;
• contribute to science communication and outreach activities;
• get access to state-of-the art research facilities at UvA and collaboration partners;
• participate in training courses of the UvA and the Graduate School of Experimental Plant Sciences (EPS).

What we ask of you

Your experience and profile:

• You possess a PhD degree in the field of plant-microbe interactions, microbiology, or molecular plant biology.
• You have demonstrated hands-on experience with several of the following techniques: fluorescence/confocal microscopy, DNA cloning, transformation and cultivation of bacteria, plant bioassays with microorganisms, (spatial) metabolite analysis.
• You are a committed researcher, demonstrated by publications in international academic journals and academic publishers.
• You communicate fluently in English, both verbally and in writing.