2 PhD students Biotechnology and Safety 1204 views

Wageningen University and Research invites applications for 2 PhD positions in Biotechnology and Safety. Native genes from a crop species can be introduced through classical breeding or through novel breeding techniques. In this project 2 PhD students will work together to study novel plant breeding techniques from a biotechnology and from a modelling of food safety angle.

About the project:

• Biotechnology: the selected PhD candidate will design a new research approach to repair or re-shuffle inactive late blight resistance genes in potato using CRISPR-Cas technology to produce late blight resistant varieties.
• The candidate will work in the department of Plant Breeding of Wageningen University & Research, and there will be collaboration with the Biometris department ( and the RIKILT Institute for Food Safety).
• Modelling food safety: the selected candidate will design new statistical safety assessment methodology, as an alternative to current regulatory risk assessment procedures.

Requirements:

PhD student Biotechnology:

• Applicant must be result-driven team player with strong interests in (plant) Genomics, Bioinformatics, Molecular Biology and/or Plant-Microbe interactions.
• Applicant must hold M.Sc in the field of life sciences
• Applicant must possess good proficiency in English (both oral and written).
• Applicant must be motivated to teach and supervise BSc and MSc students.

PhD student Modelling food safety:

• Applicant must hold M.Sc in Statistics, Mathematics, Quantitative Biology or any other direction with a strong quantitative component.
• Applicant must have good programming skills.
• Applicant must demonstrate willingness to work in the area between biology and (multivariate) statistics.
• Applicant must be able to work in multi-disciplinary teams and have good oral and written communication skills.

Starting date: December 1st 2017

Duration: 4 years

Value: gross salary € 2225 (in the first year) to € 2840,- per month in the fourth year

Applications:

Application must include:

• CV
• Motivation letter
• Apply online