PhD FieldHeat: Adapting tomato germplasm to the dry and humid heat of the Indian monsoonal climate

PhD FieldHeat: Adapting tomato germplasm to the dry and humid heat of the Indian monsoonal climate
PhD FieldHeat: Adapting tomato germplasm to the dry and humid heat of the Indian monsoonal climate

Published	Deadline	Location
today	21 Nov	Wageningen

Job description
We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate with interest in abiotic stress tolerance research, and the crop tomato. Do you want to be a member of our team at Plant Breeding of Wageningen University & Research?
Applications are invited for a full-time PhD research position funded by NWO-DBT in collaboration with Radboud University, several institutes in India (including the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research) and Nunhems India called FieldHeat : Adapting tomato germplasm to the dry and humid heat of the Indian monsoonal climate.
Tomato is an important food crop and sustainable tomato production is a high priority around the world. However, the increase in temperature due to climate change is severely limiting tomato yields and production areas. In India heat stress is often compounded by extremes in air humidity. Adaptation to these different combined stress environments requires a specific and optimized set of traits and insight in the interplay between heat stress and humidity stress. In FieldHeat we characterize globally-sourced genetic resources of heat tolerant tomato genotypes for their suitability for cultivation in contrasting dry and/or humid hot conditions of India. We will use state-of-the-art phenomics facilities in The Netherlands as well as extensive field trials in the target production environment in India.
The PhD candidate in Wageningen will be involved in 3 of the 6 work packages of Fieldheat, which are geared towards genome sequencing and assembly of heat tolerant genotypes as well as discovery of breeding traits (and their QTLs) contributing to vegetative heat tolerance and crop water use under dry/humid heat conditions followed by potential gene identification.
Supervision will be done by Prof. Dr. Richard Visser & Dr. Gerard van der Linden. The successful candidate will be registered as a PhD student at Plant Breeding, Wageningen University & Research and be part of a dedicated research group on abiotic stress tolerance of crops.
Specifications

• max. 38 hours per week
• Wageningen View on Google Maps

Wageningen University & Research

Requirements
We are looking for an enthusiastic PhD candidate who is preferably experienced in genetics, physiology, phenotyping and has affinity with bio-informatics. Preferred candidates have very good teamwork abilities.
For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level . Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here .
Conditions of employment
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment . A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• study leave and partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• the option to accrue additional compensation / holiday hours by working more, up to 40 hours per week;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed December bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 2.541,- per month rising to € 3.247,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.
There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities. We are offering a unique position in an international environment with a pleasant and open working atmosphere.
You are going to work at the greenest and most innovative campus in Holland, and at a university that has been chosen as the ” Best University ” in the Netherlands for the 17th consecutive time.
Coming from abroad
Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees. Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may qualify for a special tax relief , known as the 30% ruling. Our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research’s International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees and students coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, we can assist you with any additional advice and information about helping your partner to find a job, housing, schooling, and other issues.
Equal opportunities

Wageningen University & Research (WUR) employs a large number of people with very different backgrounds and qualities, who inspire and motivate each other. We want every talent to feel at home in our organisation and be offered the same career opportunities. We therefore especially welcome applications from people who are underrepresented at WUR. For more information please go to our inclusivity page . A good example of how WUR deals with inclusiveness can be read on the page working at WUR with a functional impairment .
Employer
Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,200 employees (6,400 fte) and 13,200 students and over 150.000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.
Plant Breeding, Wageningen University & Research is a merged unit of at any time around 200 people of which half are MSc and PhD students and guest workers. It is a highly international group with more than 50 nationalities organised in ten research groups. We conduct fundamental, strategic and applied research and provide teaching at all educational (BSc, MSc and PhD) levels. Our research focusses on the dissemination of the genetic basis of traits which are relevant in order to achieve a sustainable agri- and horticulture. We conduct this research often together or in partnership with breeding companies, local, regional and state governments.
Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch this video to get an idea of our green campus!
Additional information
For more information about this position, please contact Prof. Richard Visser (richard.visser@wur.nl ) or contact Dr. Gerard van der Linden (Gerard.vanderlinden@wur.nl )
For more information about the procedure, please contact vacaturemeldingen.psg@wur.nl
Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly by uploading your CV and motivation letter, using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.
This vacancy will be listed up to and including the 21th of November 2022.
Join us and come work at WUR

At Wageningen University & Research, you work at improving the quality of life. Together with your colleagues, you seek to answer the challenges within our domain ‘healthy food and living environment.’

Read more

Apply for this job
Apply for this job

This application process is managed by the employer (Wageningen University & Research). Please contact the employer for questions regarding your application.

Apply for this job via the employer’s website
Thank you for applying

Please contact the employer for questions regarding your application.

Tip: save this job as favorite in your AcademicTransfer account. This gives you an immediate overview and makes it easy to find the job later on. No account yet? Create it now and take advantage of other useful functionalities too!

Back to the vacancy
Application procedure
For more information about this position, please contact Prof. Richard Visser (richard.visser@wur.nl ) or contact Dr. Gerard van der Linden (Gerard.vanderlinden@wur.nl )
For more information about the procedure, please contact vacaturemeldingen.psg@wur.nl
Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly by uploading your CV and motivation letter, using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval.
This vacancy will be listed up to and including the 21th of November 2022.