Twelve (12) PhD Positions, Georg-August-University Goettingen, Germany (2016)

The International Research Training Group (IRTG) 2172 "PRoTECT: Plant Responses To Eliminate Critical Threats" (Speaker: Prof. Dr. Ivo Feussner) offers positions at the Georg-August-University Goettingen for 12 Ph.D. candidates beginning at May 1st, 2016. The salary is in accordance with the German public service salary scale (50% E13 TV-L) for up to three years.

The IRTG 2172 is a collaborative PhD program between the Georg-August-University and the University of British Columbia which focusses on a broad range of plant defense mechanisms against different pathogens and pests. The specific scientific focus is to elucidate defense mechanisms that are operational in different cellular and extracellular compartments and at different spatial scales, including the cuticle, the cell wall, the cytosol, the mitochondria and the nucleus as well as the phloem and xylem cells that connect different organs. In addition to obtaining a holistic picture on these often interconnected defense mechanisms, doctoral researchers will have access to modern technologies like genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and cutting edge microscopy. The broad based training will enable doctoral researchers to address questions in plant defense at a system-wide level in the frame of an international collaboration.

Candidates should fulfill the following requirements:
- A very good M.Sc. degree (or equivalent) in biology, agriculture, forestry or similar field
- A strong background in one of the biological disciplines covered by the IRTG (biochemistry, genetics, cell biology)
- Very good English skills (written and spoken)
- High motivation to spend part of the PhD time at UBC in Vancouver

Further details:
http://www.nature.com