比利時根特大學植物系統生物學中心2024年招聘博士后（計算生物學）

根特大學（Ghent University），簡稱UGent，由荷蘭國王威廉一世于1817年創辦，迄今已有200多年歷史，是比利時學術排名第一的頂尖大學，也是比利時規模最大的大學之一。

UGent位于比利時王國東弗蘭德省省會根特市，官方語言為荷蘭語。根特大學是一所對所有人開放的多元化大學，無論其意識形態，政治立場，文化或社會背景。根特大學的信條是——“敢于思考”。

根特大學有11個學院，46000名學生和15000名教職員工。根特大學的校友成就斐然，其中不乏4位諾貝爾獎得主、多位比利時首相。另外，前國際奧委會主席雅克·羅格，以及互聯網先驅羅伯特·卡里奧也曾在根特大學學習。

Postdoc in Computational Biology

Employer

VIB

Location

Ghent

Closing date

31 Oct 2024

The VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology (PSB, www.psb.vib-ugent.be) is a world-leading plant science institute with the mission to unravel the biology of plants and use the insights gained to improve the sustainability of agriculture and the climate change resilience of crops. The Maere lab at PSB (http://www.maerelab.be) is active in the fields of computational biology, evolutionary genomics and plant systems biology. Current research topics include testing a novel experimental setup to unravel the molecular wiring of plant phenotypes under field conditions, studying dosage balance-sensitive genes in plants, and modeling the evolution of transcriptional systems in silico. We are currently looking for a talented postdoc to join our team in the context of the VIB Grand Challenge project ‘Validating the use of endemic rhizobia for sustainable soybean cultivation in Northwestern Europe’.

Project description Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most important protein sources in human food and animal feed. Europe is highly dependent on the import of soybean, often from (sub)tropical areas where soybean cultivation is one of the main drivers of deforestation. Establishing European soybean production at scale may not only help curtail deforestation in crucial ecosystems such as the Amazon, Cerrado and Gran Chaco, but would also reduce Europe’s dependence on soybean imports, reduce the associated carbon footprint and facilitate the ongoing transition to more plant protein and less animal protein in the European diets. Moreover, in symbiosis with nitrogen (N)-fixing bacteria (rhizobia) inside root nodules, soybean can manage its own N nutrition, reducing the need for N fertilization. In combination with a reduced import of soybean products (and the associated N) from overseas, local and circular soybean cultivation may help mitigating some of the N pollution issues in Europe. Although soybean is predominantly a (sub)tropical crop, soybean varieties that are better adapted to more temperate climates with cold springs, such as those found in Northwestern (NW) Europe, have already been bred. However, the current commercially available rhizobial inoculants needed to establish N-fixing nodules on soybean roots are based on non-endemic rhizobial strains that are poorly adapted to local environmental conditions, causing soybeans cultivated in NW Europe to have suboptimal and variable yield and protein content. The aim of this project is to assess whether using endemic rhizobia as soybean inoculants instead of exotic strains improves soybean yield, protein content and yield stability.

In the previous VIB Grand Challenge (GC) project ‘Soy in Flanders’ (https://sojain1000tuinen.sites.vib.be/en), we engaged 1000 citizens to grow soybean plants in their garden and trapped several endemic rhizobia that are able to nodulate soybean. In the present GC project, we will test the performance of the most promising of these endemic strains versus commercial strains in field trials and on farmers’ fields across Belgium. In each field, we will profile soil type, nutrient composition, soil and nodule microbiomes, nodule phenotypes, seed yield, seed protein content and biological nitrogen fixation for several combinations of soybean variety and rhizobial strain. Together with Steven Maere, you will be coordinating efforts across 8 participating labs from research institutes across Flanders. Additionally, you will be in charge of data integration and the construction of machine learning models to unravel which environmental factors influence rhizobial strain performance in the field.

Profile

You have a PhD in Computational Biology, Biotechnology or Bioengineering.

You have excellent project management and communication skills and you like to take initiative.

You have solid expertise in machine learning, analysis of genomics data and data integration. Hands-on experience with microbiome data analysis is a plus.

You are fluent in English (spoken and written) and master several programming languages.

You found a good balance between working in a team and working independently.

You are meticulous, well-organized, responsible and self-critical.

You have a passion for science and you can think outside the box.

We offer

A 3-year postdoc position with an attractive salary.

An exciting work environment in a top research institute.

The opportunity to be part of a dynamic, interdisciplinary and international team.

A challenging project with high societal value.

Ample opportunity to learn new skills.

How to apply? Please complete the online application procedure and include a detailed CV, a letter of motivation and the contact details of two referees. Applications are accepted until the position is filled. For more information, contact Steven Maere (steven.maere@psb.vib-ugent.be).

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