Ten PhD Positions in Plant and Soil Sciences Fully Funded by the European Union in 9 European Countries

Applications are invited for 10 PhD positions (Doctoral Researchers) in the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Root Phenotyping Integrated Educational Doctoral Network “ROOTED”.

About RootEd Project funded by the European Union: A deeper understanding of the interactions between soils and plants, especially at the root zone, where they take up water and nutrients may support sustainable intensification of agricultural production. Research is indicating that a greater understanding of roots and soil functions may lead to increases in crop yields, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from soils, enhanced productivity in grasslands and reductions in fertilizer requirements to land.

However, data gaps remain in our understanding of how plant roots interact with their environment from a physiological and phenotypic perspective. The challenge of ensuring food security provides the impetus for RootEd (Root Phenotyping Integrated Educational Doctoral Network). RootEd will apply deep learning and artificial intelligence to speed up data generation in root phenotyping.

Network: RootEd consolidates the complimentary expertise of an international, interdisciplinary, multisectoral team to train a new generation of creative, resilient, adaptive multi-skilled scientists capable of innovating the fields of plant and soil sciences to actively contribute to the goal of doubling food production in a sustainable manner by 2050. Soil health and food is one of the 5 mission areas for Horizon Europe and the findings from RootEd would be directly applicable to the EU’s Green deal and a Soil Deal for Europe. RootEd graduates will have a level of scientific, communication and digital skills mastery that enables them to move straight into employment in agri-food businesses, seed and breeding companies, advisory and scientific roles.

To achieve the objectives of the network, each Doctoral Researcher will undertake a combination of individual and collaborative research work, at least one secondment(international placement) and workshops on scientific and applied skills facilitated by the academic/non-academic members of the consortium.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network Program offers a highly competitive and attractive salary and working conditions. Each fellowship includes the following:

• Enrollment in a PhD doctoral program.
• ~€3400 per month gross living allowance.The exact salary will be confirmed upon appointment and is depending on the country of residence and the country-specific correction coefficients (to allow for the difference in cost of living in different EU Member States). This amount is subject to local taxes, social security deductions, etc.
• Mobility and family allowances, where applicable, and in line with the EC rules for Marie Sklodowska Curie Doctoral Networks 2021.These allowances are also subject to local taxes, social security deductions etc.
• A full-time contract with the recruiting institution.
• ROOTED will offer an international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral training programme that promotes scientific excellence and exploits the expertise and infrastructure present in the consortium. In addition to their individual scientific projects, all the fellows will benefit from the Network Training Programme including international secondments, a variety of training modules, as well as transferable skills training and dissemination and public engagement activities.

Eligibility criteria

• Applicants must be doctoral candidates, i.e not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment.
• Mobility rule: researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (e.g. work, studies) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.
• Other eligibility criteria may apply depending on the recruiting institution. Please refer to the individual advertisements provided for each position.

Selection process

Our selection procedure is open, transparent, merit-based, impartial and equitable and in line with the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. We will choose candidates that fit best for each individual scientific project according to the following steps:

• Applicants should follow the application criteria and instructions for the position(s) that they are interested in applying for.
• Applications will be reviewed for eligibility and suitability based on the criteria listed for each position.
• The recruiting institution will send out notification of the selection outcome after the interview.

For detailed information on each position, including how to apply and the application deadline, please refer to each position description below.

If you wish to apply to more than one position, please apply individually to each position.

All applicants must include this application form as part of their application for any of the positions below (to download a copy, click File→Download).

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER 1- Legacy of perennials in structuring soils – what we can learn for sustainability of cropping systems

Host and PhD Awarding institution: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany

Primary Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Doris Vetterlein

Project duration: 36 months

Project Description: The specific task of this PhD position is to investigate root associated soil structural changes in perennial crops as compared to annual crops, more specifically permanent grasslands versus agricultural crops. This will show how far and whether at all the exploration of the subsoil can be improved by perennial root systems.

It will also be investigated whether this results in differences in respect to infiltration or exploitation of soil water. A shared library of root images obtained via non-destructive X-ray CT scanning of root systems in soil will be created to improve the current state-of-the-art in root image analysis.

Secondment(s): University of Nottingham

Required applicant profile: Master’s degree in Agriculture, Biology, Soil Science, Geoscience or related natural sciences.

Informal inquiries: doris.vetterlein@ufz.de

Application deadline: 21st April 2023

Full details of this position and how to apply:

https://recruitingapp-5128.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/2681/Description/2

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER 2- Roots of plant species mixtures to mitigate soil compaction in a changing climate

Host and PhD Awarding institution: Aarhus University, (AU), Denmark

Primary Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Lars J. Munkholm

Project duration: 36 months

Project Description: Soil degradation due to subsoil compaction is a major challenge in agriculture as natural recovery is very slow. Thus, targeted strategies areneeded to promote and speed up the recovery of compacted subsoils. Previous studies have shown recovery effects of deep-rooted plant species such as chicory, lucerne and lupin grown in monoculture.

We anticipate that growing plant mixtures with different root growth patterns and varying symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can increase the extent and rate of subsoil recovery after compaction. Yet, there is a lack of knowledge of the potential of such plant speciesmixtures to aid the recovery of compacted subsoils. The project will explore interactions between soil and roots as well as the impact of the root growth patterns on soil functioning using state-of- the-art methods.

Secondment(s):  University College Dublin (Ireland) and DLF-Seed (Denmark)

Required applicant profile:  Highly motivated, independent and enthusiastic doctoral researcher with relevant Master’s degree (Soil Science, Crop Science,Agronomy or closely related fields), excellent track record of academic achievement and a strong interest in conducting original research. Interest in soil structureand soil-plant-microbiome interactions is essential. Experience of working with experimental work in the field and laboratory is desirable.

Informal inquiries: lars.munkholm@agro.au.dk 

Application deadline:  30 April 2023

Full details of this position and how to apply:

https://phd.tech.au.dk/for-applicants/apply-here/saeropslag/phd-in-roots-of-plant-species-mixtures-to-mitigate-compaction-in-a-changing-climate

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER 3- New insights into the plant hormones that govern root system exploration in soil

Host and PhD Awarding institution: University College Dublin, (UCD), Ireland

Primary Supervisor: Dr. Saoirse Tracy

Project duration: 36 months

Project Description: The aim of this project is to observe soil exploration by plant roots in compacted soil to deduce the impacts of different plant hormones on this ability to overcome sub-optimum soil conditions. A greater understanding of the hormonal activators of root interactions with soil compaction is required. New state-of-the-art techniques and software for the reconstruction of 3D root systems in X-ray CT will be utilised for the quantification of root exploration. A shared library of root images in soil and associated ground truth data for training of AI models will be created.

Secondment(s): University of Nottingham (UK)

Required applicant profile: Highly motivated, independent and enthusiastic doctoral researcher with relevant bachelor or master’s degree, excellent track record of academic achievement and a strong interest in conducting original research on root system interactions with soils. Must be comfortable with the application of technologies e.g., imaging technologies.

However, full training will be given. Interest in plant growth, soil science and computer science are essential. Experience of working on or contributing to using imaging technologies or computer programming to answer agricultural or environmental problems is desirable.

Informal inquiries: saoirse.tracy@ucd.ie 

Application deadline: 28th April 2023

Full details of this position and how to apply are available here 

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER 4- Temporal observations of soil: root interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Applications will open soon. Details on how to apply will be provided here, please check back.

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER 5- Investigating the role of the 3D soil matrix in mediating root to root interactions

Host and PhD Awarding institution: University College Dublin, (UCD), Ireland

Primary Supervisor: Dr. Saoirse Tracy

Project duration: 36 months

Project description: The aim of this project is to understand how plants interact with neighbouring plants. Above-ground interactions are well defined while below-ground interactions are less well understood. Using X-ray CT, we can investigate the changes in root architecture and positioning in the presence of a neighbouring plant. We will test the role of nutrient availability and soil matrix in mediating root to root interactions between wheat and a known weed (blackgrass, Alopecurus myosuroides).

A new standardised method for root phenotyping in the presence of neighbouring plants will be used. Measurement of soil porosity in the rhizosphere and root architecture and positioning of wheat plants grown under different nutrient and soil matrix treatment combinations will be conducted.

Secondment(s): NIAB Regional Trial Network (UK)

Required applicant profile: Highly motivated, independent and enthusiastic doctoral researcher with a relevant bachelor or master’s degree in biological, agricultural or environmental sciences. An excellent track record of academic achievement and a strong interest in conducting original research on root system interactions with soils. Must be comfortable with the application of technologies e.g. imaging technologies. However, full training will be given.  Interest in agriculture and plant growth are essential. Experience of working on or contributing to using imaging technologies or computer programming to answer agricultural or environmental problems is desirable.

Informal inquiries: saoirse.tracy@ucd.ie

Application deadline: 28th April 2023

Full details of this position and how to apply are available here 

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER 6- Towards the optimization of legume nodulated root system architecture for water and nitrogen acquisition underdrought conditions.

Host: Institut National de la Recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement, (INRAE), France

PhD Awarding institution: University of Burgundy Franche-Comté, France

Primary Supervisor: Dr. Marion Prudent

Project duration: 36 months

Project description: Grain legumes are cultivated for their protein-rich seeds, used for feed or food. These species do not need N fertilizers, thanks to their ability to fix atmospheric N2 in symbiosis with soil bacteria (rhizobia) in newly-formed root organs called nodules.

With a functional-structural approach focused on the nodulated root system, we will investigate transient nutrient deficiencies and drought effect on root architecture, water and nutrient uptake, and rhizodeposition. The molecular underlying regulations will be deciphered by multi-omics approaches including RNAseq and metabolomics analysis.

Secondment(s): University of Burgundy Franche-Comté (France)

Required applicant profile: Highly motivated and enthusiastic doctoral researcher with a plant biology Master’s degree, excellent academic track record and an appeal for integrative biology. The PhD topic will focus on the legume root system and its interaction with rhizobia using whole plant physiology/ecophysiology, high-throughput phenotyping but also several omics approach. Therefore applicant must be comfortable with image analysis and/or biostatistics of large and heterogenous datasets.

Informal inquiries: marion.prudent@inrae.fr

Application deadline: 28th April 2023

Full details of this position and how to apply: https://jobs.inrae.fr/en/ot-18015

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER 7- Root plasticity as an optimal trait in adverse environments

Host and PhD Awarding institution:  Université Catholique de Louvain, (UCLouvain), Belgium

Full details of this position and how to apply: Applications will open soon. Please check back.

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER 8- Root plasticity responses to low P as modulated by N availability

PhD Awarding institution: Université Catholique de Louvain, (UCLouvain), Belgium

Full details of this position and how to apply: Applications will open soon. Please check back.

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER 9- High throughput Rhizotron data from environmental challenged root systems towards AI

Host and PhD Awarding institution: Wageningen University & Research (WU), Netherlands

Full details of this position and how to apply: Applications will open soon. Please check back.

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER 10- Micronutrient deficiencies and the implications for wheat crop yields

Host: Origin Enterprises, (ORIGIN) Ireland

PhD Awarding institution: University College Dublin, (UCD), Ireland

Full details of this position and how to apply: Applications will open soon. Please check back.

Contact rooted@ucd.ie  for any queries.