-Position filled-

PhD Scholarship – Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, Transcriptomics
Transcriptional responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to leaf colonisation by non-pathogenic bacteria.
We seek a PhD candidate for a fully-funded 3-year PhD scholarship in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

The successful candidate will be part of the Remus-Emsermann Lab. The Remus-Emsermann lab is a young and agile team interested in the microbiology of leaf surfaces and plant-microbe interactions using multidisciplinary approaches. The lab is based in the School of Biological Sciences, with close interactions with other PhD students from the School of Biological Sciences.

The project will be supervised by Dr Mitja Remus-Emsermann and Prof. Paula Jameson.

More information about the current research in the Remus-Emsermann Lab can be found here: www.remus-emsermann-lab.org.

Project description
Plant leaves host diverse non-pathogenic bacterial communities. However, we simply don’t know how important these communities are to to plant life, as the impact of non-pathogenic bacteria on plants is barely understood. It is critical that we understand the potential impact of leaf-inhabiting bacteria on plant physiology and health considering the importance of plants as Earth's primary producers. This project will investigate the transcriptional response of Arabidopsis thaliana to their non-pathogenic leaf colonisers.

The University
The University of Canterbury is located in Christchurch, the largest city in New Zealand’s South Island. There are approximately 13,000 students enrolled, and 2,000 postgraduate students. The University’s modern and well-equipped facilities are spread across a spacious suburban campus, with easy access to the city and the cultural and recreational facilities it provides. There are several ski-fields within an hour and a half’s drive, the Pacific Ocean is a 20 minutes drive from campus, and there is good access to the scenic and recreational resources of the Southern Alps and Banks Peninsula.

Funding Notes
The stipend will be for three years at NZ$21,000 p.a. (tax free) plus payment of tuition fees and associated service charges (approx. $9,000 p.a.).

Eligibility
We seek a PhD candidate with a demonstrated high level of academic achievement at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. They will be required to have a BSc (Hons) or a Masters degree in order to enrol as a PhD candidate at the University of Canterbury. The ideal candidate will have a Masters degree in Molecular Plant Biology/ Molecular Plant Pathology or Microbiology and experience in working with RNA, and transcriptomics or genomics.
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As the project will involve extended periods in the lab as well as bioinformatics work, candidates who can demonstrate experience in both analysis of transcriptomic data and hands-on experiments are especially welcome to apply. Previous experience in techniques such as plant RNA extraction, qPCR, next generation sequencing and transcriptome analysis, and bacterial cultivation will be particularly useful.

Applications should include a curriculum vitae, and a cover letter with a brief outline of envisioned experiments, and the addresses of two scientific referees, addressed  to Dr Mitja Remus-Emsermann. The positions remains open until filled. Starting date is up for discussion but we envision the successful candidate to us in June/ July 2018.

Applications + Contact
For more information please contact by email:
Dr Mitja Remus-Emsermann
School of Biological Sciences
University of Canterbury
Christchurch
New Zealand
Email: mitja.remus-emsermann@canterbury.ac.nz
Tel: +64 (3) 36 95351, Ext 95351

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