PhD researcher on 'mechanisms underlying onion drought tolerance: response and effects of early season drought on growth and yield' at CropXR / Wageningen University & Research

Your job

Do you want to be part of the development of resilient crops that require fewer environmentally-damaging inputs? Then you could be the ideal candidate to join our new, interdisciplinary research institute CropXR!

With a budget of 96 million Euro over the next decade, CropXR focuses on creating eXtra Resilient (XR), sustainable, and climate-adaptive crops. By combining plant biology, simulation modelling, and artificial intelligence we aim to develop ‘smart breeding and cultivation’ methods to speed up breeding for complex resilience traits in different growing systems for several crops. This collaborative effort involves four universities (Wageningen University, Utrecht University, Universities of Amsterdam, and TU Delft), numerous companies, and encompasses scientific research, data collection and sharing, education, and practical applications in agriculture and plant breeding.

This vacancy is for a PhD position focusing on mechanisms underlying onion drought tolerance, specifically the response and effects of early season drought on plant growth and yield. Onion is sensitive to drought at several stages in the crop cycle. Early in crop establishment, onion seedlings are particularly sensitive to drought. Early root vigor, optimal root to shoot ratio and balance between water uptake, transpiration and photosynthetic efficiency are among the traits that are likely to contribute to drought tolerance at this stage of the onion crop. Water limitation at the next stage is likely to affect leaf growth and photosynthetic capacity and activity, and either directly or indirectly may impact the initiation of the bulb. Whether and how bulb initiation is impacted by drought and how this influences quality and size of the bulb is essential information for a better understanding of drought tolerance of onion, and for identifying breeding targets to improve onion drought tolerance. Key traits and genes contributing to tolerance to drought at the seedling and pre-bulbing stage and linked phenotyping strategies for these traits can be translated to and validated in the field and serve as selectable traits in breeding programs.

This PhD project interacts with another CropXR onion PhD student who will be focusing on the response to drought at later developmental stages. Each PhD student will provide input for mechanistic and possibly functional structural plant models.
If you are motivated to work in an interdisciplinary research setting, on a challenging project, collaborate with diverse (company and academic) partners, and communicate findings to both peers and the public, we are looking for you.

As a PhD candidate, you will:

• execute trials in (semi) controlled environments using state-of-the-art (high throughput) phenotyping tools
• evaluate the drought response of onion at the molecular, biochemical and physiological level
• analyse and interpret the data relevant to the goal of the PhD position, contributing to the development of a resilient onion crop;
• work closely together with another PhD studying drought tolerance of onion at later developmental stages.
• communicate with experimental research scientists and data and modelling scientists within and beyond CropXR;
• contribute to the education of BSc and MSc students from different knowledge institutions working with you on the project.

Your qualities

We are looking for four highly motivated and creative candidates to join us in CropXR.

You are:

• a pleasant team player with a pro-active work attitude
• conceptually strong and skilled in practical experimental work with affinity for agronomy and interests in plant stress response and physiology

You have: 

• an MSc degree in plant sciences, crop science or a related field
• experience in plant physiological and molecular analysis
• excellent English language proficiency (CEFR C2 level or more). For more information about this proficiency level, please visit our special language page
• strong collaborative skills

Experience with plant phenotyping and abiotic stress research is an advantage. However, if you feel attracted to the position but are unsure whether you already meet all the criteria, we do encourage you to apply.

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.

You will work here
The position is hosted by the laboratory of Plant Breeding (PBR), Wagenigen University & Research. The PhD will be supervised by Dr. Gerard van der Linden (PBR) and Dr Olga Scholten). All PhD candidates will also join the Ph.D. program of the EPS graduate school. This academic environment, in combination with the embedding in a large transdisciplinary project that has strong ties with private partners, gives you all opportunities to develop new skills and kick-start your academic career.

We offer you

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• Partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• 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 € 2.872,- per month rising to € 3.670,-  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 19th 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.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands 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. We can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

Do you want more information?

For more information about this position, please contact Gerard van der Linden, Researcher Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, telephone +31 317 480850, or by email: gerard.vanderlinden@wur.nl, or Olga Scholten, Senior Researcher Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, telephone +31 317 480871, or by email: olga.scholten@wur.nl.

For more information about the procedure, please contact Dax Teunissen, corporate recruiter vacaturemeldingen.psg@wur.nl

Do you want to apply?
You can apply directly 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 16 December 2024.

Additional information form
For this position, you must fill in a mandatory form which will allow us to have a comprehensive view of your qualifications and better assess your fit for it. You can access the form using the link below:

https://forms.office.com/e/25m5En9eA3

Your prompt response will ensure that your application continues to move forward in the evaluation process. We assure you that the information provided will be kept confidential and used solely for thisapplication process.

Welcome, safe, and valued
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) highly values diversity and inclusion because we believe that different insights lead to innovative solutions. We create a work environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and appreciated, regardless of background, identity, or experience. Together, we are building a culture where everyone's unique contribution adds to the success of our organization.

We are

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, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 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.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!


We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.