PhD position: Genetic basis of yield stability in barley under drought - NIOO-KNAW - Wageningen

Interested in how crops maintain stable yields under both optimal and drought conditions?

A PhD position within the Allrounder project focuses on dissecting the genetic basis of natural variation in root and shoot architecture as a basis for breeding climate-resilient barley.

In a collaborative project between the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) and Wageningen University & Research (WUR), two PhD candidates will investigate how wild barley, the wild relative of cultivated barley, can maintain stable yield across both optimal and drought conditions. The projects focus on above-ground growth and yield responses to water limitation and below-ground development.

Using a high-throughput root phenotyping facility and a diverse panel of wild barley accessions, you will study how root architecture and shoot traits influence plant performance under different water conditions. By combining phenotyping with genetic approaches such as GWAS and candidate gene analysis, the project aims to identify what makes the wild progenitor of barley resilient: what traits and alleles support stable yield across environments? Ultimately, this research will contribute to the development of barley varieties that perform reliably under both optimal and water-limited conditions - true “allrounder” crops for future climates.

What you will be doing

PhD2

• Together with other project members, you will design and execute controlled-environment experiments, including large greenhouse experiments to collect whole-plant measurements.
• You will phenotype shoot growth, physiology, and yield-related traits in barley diversity panels under different water regimes.
• You will perform GWAS analyses to identify loci associated with yield stability across environments.
• The project will be carried out jointly at NIOO-KNAW and the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at Wageningen University, and you will divide your time between both institutes while being employed by NIOO.
• You will conduct mutant analysis, generating CRISPR/Cas mutants and using transformation approaches to identify developmental genetic regulators.
• You will analyze data and integrate multi-modal datasets using quantitative and statistical approaches, including linking variation in shoot phenotypes to root traits to evaluate the role of root plasticity in yield stability.
• You will coordinate collaboration by managing cross-team experiments.
• You will write and publish your research in leading scientific journals and communicate your findings through your PhD thesis and broader societal outreach.

Your workplace

This research is embedded in the Netherlands Institute of Ecology in Wageningen (NIOO-KNAW) and two collaborating research groups at Wageningen University. PhD2 will be appointed at NIOO-KNAW and will be jointly supervised by NIOO-KNAW (Prof. Koen Verhoeven) and the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Wageningen University; Dr. Wilma van Esse). The two PhD candidates will work closely together within this interdisciplinary project.

What you will be contributing

We are looking for motivated candidates interested in understanding the developmental and physiological mechanisms that determine plant performance across environments, with a particular interest in root and shoot responses to water limitation.

You also have

• A successfully completed MSc degree in plant sciences, plant (molecular) biology, plant genetics or a related field.
• Strong teamwork skills and the ability to collaborate across institutes and disciplines.
• Good data skills.
• Experience with quantitative genetics, natural variation studies, and affinity with programming in R and Python is a plus.
• Experience with cereal genetics, molecular biology techniques such as transcriptome analysis, tissue culture, gene editing, and bioinformatics or GWAS analyses is an advantage.
• Curiosity, proactivity, and enthusiasm for working in an interdisciplinary research environment.
• A willingness to divide your time between two research institutes (NIOO-KNAW and WUR) is essential.

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language.

What do we offer?

The PhD2 position is hosted at the department of Terrestrial Ecology at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, and the PhD project will be executed jointly with the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at WUR, where part of the work will be done. We offer a dynamic and inspiring environment with excellent support for experimental work and analysis, and great opportunities for collaboration.

The position is initially for 1 year, and upon satisfactory performance to be prolonged to a maximum of 4 years total. There are plenty of options for personal initiative in a learning environment, and we provide excellent training opportunities at NIOO-KNAW as well as through the graduate school EPS.

About NIOO

The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO) is a national research institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). At NIOO we perform ecological research on biodiversity, climate change and sustainable use of land and water. We stimulate ecological research in the Netherlands and share our ecological knowledge with society.