PhD position vacant in "Evolutionary cell biology" @ Utrecht University

About the organisation
Utrecht University is a research university comprising of seven faculties which collectively span the entire academic spectrum in teaching and research. Founded in 1636, the University is now a modern, leading institute enjoying a growing international reputation. In the Shanghai Ranking, Utrecht University ranks 1st in the Netherlands, 12th in Europe and 48th worldwide.

The Faculty of Science consists of six departments:

  1. Biology,
  2. Chemistry,
  3. Information and Computing Sciences,
  4. Mathematics,
  5. Pharmaceutical Sciences,
  6. and Physics and Astronomy.

The Faculty is home to 3500 students and nearly 2000 staff and is internationally renowned for the quality of its research. Its academic programmes reflect the developments in today’s society.

Institute for Biocomplexity and Bioinformatics

The Institute for Biocomplexity and Bioinformatics aims to understand the dynamic regulation and evolution of biological systems. To this end, intensive collaborations are fostered within the institute between experimentalists working on appropriate model systems and computational model systems and computational biologists specialised in data analysis and modelling. You will be appointed at one of the participating groups of The Institute: Theoretical Biology & Bioinformatics group.

Additional information

Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from: Dr. Berend Snel, B.Snel@uu.nl. As part of the selection procedure, you are expected to give an outline of his research plans in a written report and an oral presentation.

Job description :

PhD position in a NWO TOP-GO project entitled "Evolutionary cell biology of signal transduction networks from primitive eukaryotes to higher plants"

  • Utrecht University is inviting applications for this PhD position in the bioinformatic investigation of evolution and functioning of the molecular signaling networks that regulate plant growth.
  • Plants have complicated signaling networks to regulate growth.
  • Preliminary results suggest that these systems are the result of a combination of the emergence of novel pathways and adaptation of pre-existing pathways.
  • The aim is reconstruct the evolution of these systems, first from the common eukaryotic ancestor to animals, fungi and primitive algae and secondly from algae to primitive plants (such as mosses and ferns) and higher plants (such as the plant model organism Arabidopsis thaliana).
  • The methods for this reconstruction are comparative genomics to study the gene loss, gain and duplication of the core pathway components as well as integrative bioinformatics to study the rewiring of the network.
  • As a PhD researcher you will spend most of your time doing research, leading to your PhD thesis.
  • A limited amount of time you will spend attending and giving courses.