PhD Position: Plant Reproductive Genetics and Genome Engineering

1. Introduction

Curious how plants reproduce, form clonal seeds or persist for generations as forever hybrid allopolyploids? Discover the answers in this PhD project.

2. Job description

The domestication of certain plant species by humans thousands of years ago is intertwined with the establishment of agricultural systems and civilisations. The plant species that were domesticated were selected to some extent by chance and circumstance. Modern agriculture harnesses the inherent vigour of hybrid plants to ensure productive crops that are robust to abiotic and biotic stresses. The simultaneous engineering of trait and reproductive pathways to develop novel hybrid species with excellent agronomic characters by design is a promising yet underexplored area of plant breeding research.  

In this PhD project, you will combine genetics, genomics and genome engineering to understand the fundamental pathways of plant reproduction. You will contribute to the development of innovative plant breeding technologies that will shape the future of agriculture. You will combine laboratory work with computational data analysis and collaborate with international partners on ground-breaking genetic and genomic research.

Your teaching load may be up to 10% of your working time.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate. 

3. Profile

• You hold an MSc degree in biology, biotechnology, bioinfomatics or a related field.
• You have a strong interest in genetics, plant reproduction, molecular biology and chromosome structure.
• You have hands-on experience with R or another programming language.

Desirable skills:

• You have experience with microscopy, molecular biology techniques and/or plant tissue culture.
• You have experience with genomics data analysis.
• You are interested in developing your teaching skills

4. We are

The world is facing unprecedented challenges that are leading to a loss of species diversity and pressure on the performance of natural ecosystems and farming systems worldwide. With its overarching mission ’Towards Healthy Ecosystems’, the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences (RIBES) aims to perform world-leading biological research across scales, from genes to cells all the way to populations and ecosystems. The RIBES department of Plant & Animal Biology is currently expanding its research and education portfolio in the field of crop biotechnology to strengthen its impact on society. The crop biotechnology research line combines high-level expertise in the areas of plant genome engineering, meiosis and reproduction, and crop genomics and crop physiology.

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).     
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,881 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Charles Underwood. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application. Please ensure that your motivation letter clearly explains what excites you about joining the host lab, and that your CV includes your (expected) graduation GPA for both your BSc and MSc. We look forward to receiving your application.

The first interviews will take place on Monday 17 August. You will preferably start your employment on 1 November 2026.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.