PhD Fellowship in Plant-Microbe Interaction at University of Copenhagen

Department of Plant and Environmental Science, Section for Crop Science invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in “Boosting tomato growth, fruit yield, and stress resilience through bio-priming with interkingdom microbial consortia”, which is financed by the Danish Research Council DFF.

Start date is 1 November 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project

The PhD project addresses the transition to a sustainable and environment friendly agriculture within climate changewhile reducing agrochemicals. Theincreased occurrence and severity of adverse agro-climatic events threaten food production. Alt­hough agrochemical determine crop productivity they negatively impact the environment and biodiversity. The need for ecosystem friendly alternatives results in an increased interest in biostimulants but their applications and acceptance are hamperedby a poor lab to field translation, a lack of robustness and limited insight into their mode of action. These drawbacks and knowledge gaps are addressed by an integrative and innovative approach.

The goal of this project is to establish and apply microbial consortia on tomato cultivar MicroTom as case study to improve fruit yield, quality and salt stress resilience under consideration of the mycorrhiza symbiosis and a root/shoot temperature gradient. The research will focus to unraveling the plant physiological and molecular mechanisms governed by microbial consortia, particularly the pathways associated with carbohydrate metabolism, reactive oxygen species, and hormones. Based on our preliminary data on yield enhancement using the fungus Trichoderma and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria, interkingdom consortia thereof will be designed with distinct functionalities. The results will be verified under production conditions to evaluate the robustness of the consortia and derived predictive biomarkers.

In summary, this project aims to create microbial consortia as innovative biostimulants for environment friendly and climate smart production to ensure food security within climate change scenarios. In parallel, the mechanistic understanding of plant responses to such consortia composed of beneficial bacteria and fungi will allow tailored future design to ensure robustness across pedoclimatic conditions and cultivars.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for passionate and highly talented candidates within the field(s) of Plant – Microbe interaction, Plant Physiology, Plant Molecular Biology, or related fields.

• Essential:
  • Bachelor and Master’s in Life Sciences, Agriculture, Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or related fields.
  • Solid knowledge about working with plants and abiotic stress treatments
  • Solid wet-lab experience in the field of molecular biology, plant physiology, protein analyses, and instrumental analytics of secondary metabolites
  • Strong interest in plant – microbe interaction, stress biology and plant symbiosis
• Preferred:
  • Knowledge about plant – microbe interactions
  • Experience in methods related to carbohydrate and antioxidant metabolism, notably including the determination of related enzyme activities
  • Development and optimization of extractions procedures and analytical methods
  • Performing of screenings
  • Independent planning and execution of projects
  • Evidence of scientific writing and publishing

Our group and research- and what do we offer?

The successful applicant will be part of the research group “Molecular Plant Physiology and Phenomics” at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences. The research group is currently composed of the PI, two postdocs (two more will be hired soon), a research assistant and a variable number of BSc and MSc students. The project is within the main translational research focus on the interaction of plants with biostimulants, with a key focus on beneficial microbes to elucidate the underlying mechanisms to develop robust solutions for practical applications, funded from national and international sources. We are a part of the Crop Science section and work closely together with researchers across the section and department and with a number of international collaboration partners. The Crop Science section studies and teaches basic and applied sciences related to crop production, with a focus on the interaction between Genotype, Management and Environment. The aim of the crop science section is to improve land management for sustainable food production in a changing climate, by conducting research in laboratories, greenhouses, semi-field equipment and fields.

The Plant Physiology/Phenomics group is a part of Department of Plant and Environmental Science, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. We are located at Taastrup campus, Copenhagen.

We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories and plant growth facilities including an automated phenotyping facility and state of the art laboratory equipment and instrumentation.

Principal supervisor isProfessor Thomas Roitsch, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, roitschchapmandavidkristen20@plen.ku.dkjordan.dkcrane.dkfischer-choi.dk , Direct Phone: +4535333431.

The PhD programme

Qualifications needed for the regular programme
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. statistics or agriculture. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

The terms of employment and salary are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks in the PhD programme

• Rigorously carry out an independent research project under supervision
• Record and report periodic progress clearly, logically and proactively.
• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Experience and professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project, i.e. in the fields of working with plants, plant physiology, plant molecular biology, instrumental analytics
• Relevant publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other relevant professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in plant – microbe interaction and mechanistic understandings
• Strong ability to interpret data and think analytically, critically, conceptually, synthetically and interdisciplinarily
• Strong social competence including interpersonal skills, teamwork and networking ability, and presentation skills
• Strong personal competence including autonomy, goal-oriented mind-set, planning/organizing/prioritizing, perseverance, problem-solving skills
• General leadership skills including ability to translate long-term goals to daily work situations (strategic time managing); be flexible to adjust one’s own behavior and thinking according to the (relevant/local) context so as to attain the desired goals (learning ability)
• Language skills: fluent English, ability to understand swiftly and express clearly

Application and Assessment Procedure

Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include:

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page) – please relate how the above required abilities are represented in your past work experiences
2. Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
3. Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.
4. Publications (if possible)
5. Reference letters (if possible)

Application deadline:

The deadline for applications is 25 August 2025, 23:59 GMT +2.

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in week 36.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.