Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology

The Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology is part of Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC, https://www.upsc.se (https://www.upsc.se)), which is a center of excellence for experimental plant research and forest biotechnology in Northern Sweden. Our mission is to perform excellent and innovative basic research and generate knowledge that benefits forestry, agriculture, environment, and society. We work across a wide range of disciplines in plant science, reaching from cell biology to ecophysiology and from basic research to industrial applications. Our common goal is to understand the plants’ ability to grow, adapt, and acclimate to a changing world and how we can breed better plants.

About the position

Plants spend a lot of energy to be in a stand-by mode for eventual stress conditions. We will investigate if some of that energy could be used to create more biomass. We have identified a gene regulation circuit in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana that functions as a switch between biomass generation and stress response. By optimizing this circuit, we can potentially create plants that grow faster when there is no stress present and have increased stress resilience when a stress condition occurs. The project consists of work in Arabidopsis, barley, and wheat. The candidate will use molecular methods (transformation, cloning, RT-qPCR, phenotyping, CRISPR-Cas9) to create superior plant lines. The project will also further investigate the molecular mechanisms behind the circuit. The project is financed by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Your profile

The candidate should have a PhD degree in molecular biology or any other relevant field. Previous experience from research in plant molecular biology and specifically in Arabidopsis, barley, or wheat will be considered as a merit. Good knowledge of English in both speaking and writing is a prerequisite. Candidates should also have the ability to initiate, plan, and work in a team and independently. As postdoctoral appointments are career-developing positions for junior researchers, we are primarily looking for candidates with a doctoral degree that is three years old at most.

About us

UPSC belongs to two universities, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Umeå University. About 200 people from more than 40 different nationalities work here. We host some 30 principal investigators, and our researchers have access to state-of-the-art analytical platforms, unique tree germplasm resources, and plant growth facilities. We strive for a collaborative work environment and support our scientists throughout all career stages by providing professional training opportunities and individual career mentoring.

Read more about our benefits and working at SLU by visiting: https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/ (https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/)

Location:

Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, SLU, Umeå (Sweden)

Form of employment:

Temporary employment 24 months, with the possibility of extension.

Scope:

100%

Start date:

As agreed.

Application:

Please submit your application before the deadline 10 December 2025. You can submit your application by clicking the button below.

Union representatives:

https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/ (https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/)