đ» The Week in Botany November 28, 2022
A new design went live at Botany One this week. The plan is that you can read the shorter posts from the homepage rather than clicking through. There are some problems still, so Iâm not sure if weâre keeping it.
For the newsletter, Iâm still compiling the stories youâre sharing on Twitter, with some pruning. Otherwise all the links would be discussions of whether or not Musk has created an omnishambles. There are also quite a lot of jobs in the Careers section, so if youâre interested in that you might have to click through to see the email on the Substack website, as some email inboxes will cut the email short.
Iâll be back next week, with more stories that youâre sharing. Until then, take care.
Alun (webmaster@botany.one)
On Botany One
Sowing the seeds of future food security
Nigel Chaffey reviews The Age of Seeds: How plants hacked time and why our future depends on it by Fiona McMillanâWebster.
In Madagascar, the lemurs need the trees, and the trees need the lemurs
Hikori Sato explains why a living forest isnât just a collection of trees.
An emerging field in Plant Science: Plant Synthetic Biology takes the stage in Barcelona
Michela Osnato talks to Dr. Jae-Seong Yang and Dr. Ivan Reyna-Llorens about their recent Plant Synthetic Biology conference in Barcelona.
To make a fine wine, you need to kill some dinosaurs
The event that killed off the dinosaurs had a huge impact on the Vitaceae family, the plant family that includes the wine grape.
Briefer posts
How does it feel?
Plants might not feel pain as such, but they need a way to get damage signals around their body. A new study uncovers some of the process.
When you donât kill weeds you teach them how to survive
Itâs not your imagination, some plants are prepared for your hoe when you try to eradicate them from your garden.
Plants remember how much warmer than usual it was last year
Stress memories using epigenetics are helping plants adapt to climate change.
The future of sweet corn turns sour
Heat during flowering damages the kernels before they develop.
Attracting bees is not always a smooth process for plants
Cambridge researchers have shown that plants can regulate the chemistry of their petal surface to create iridescent signals visible to bees.
Videos
Take a tour of the Chihuahua Desert with Joey Santore. This episode of Crime Pays But Botany Doesnât catches flowers in bloom in an arid environment. Includes both a great example of buzz pollination and some strong language.
Lichen can help diagnose what is happening to an environment. In this presentation, April Windle gives an introduction to the Lichen ecology of Devon, England.
News and Views
Farming feeds the world. We desperately need to know how to do it better
Interventions designed to improve agricultural practices often lack a solid evidence base. A new initiative could change that.
Writing a scientific article: A step-by-step guide for beginners
Many young researchers find it extremely difficult to write scientific articles, and few receive specific training in the art of presenting their research work in written format. Yet, publication is often vital for career advancement, to obtain funding, to obtain academic qualifications, or for all these reasons. Ecarnot and colleagues describe here the basic steps to follow in writing a scientific article.
Development of a Christmas tradition: structure, ecology and evolution of mistletoes
Dr Luiza Teixeira-Costa delivers and online lecture for the SEB on December 15.
The story of the purple tomato â and why its success is a win for GM foods
Although genetically modified foods still get a bit of a bad rap, there are actually many good reasons why modifying an organismâs genetics may be worthwhile. For example, many breeds of genetically modified foods have made them more resistant to disease.
Plant Science Community on Mastodon
A form to list your Mastodon handle, if you want to meet other plant scientists on Mastodon, and thereâs a spreadsheet of people listed available here.
This Torres Strait Islander Chef Wants You to Cook With Wattleseeds and Bush Tomatoes
Mabu Mabu, Nornie Beroâs first cookbook, is a celebration of Aboriginal culinary traditions.
Plants, People, Planet call for papers: Agricultural biotechnology
This special collection will present the role of natural and social science as âhonest brokersâ of agricultural biotechnology to help engage, enrich debate, and inform policy. To achieve this, the special collection will provide a forum for works on both the current and prospective positive and negative impacts of agricultural biotechnology to the environment and society. We encourage articles from across disciplines and around the globe to provide a comprehensive range of views surrounding agricultural biotechnology and its progress. We especially encourage submissions from the Global South.
South L.A. farmers connect with their homelands through traditional plants
A few miles from the intersection of the 110 and 105 freeways, a group of around 200 people grow food, mainly for neighbors and their own kitchens. This community of farmers found a connection with their home countries, growing traditional ingredients for Mexican and Central American cuisines under the power lines.
What planting tomatoes shows us about climate change
Thereâs a piece of gardening lore in my hometown which has been passed down for generations: never plant your tomatoes before Show Day, which, in Tasmania, is the fourth Saturday in October. If youâre foolhardy enough to plant them earlier, your tomato seedlings will suffer during the cold nights and wonât grow. But does this kind of seasonal wisdom still work as the climate warps?
Generation game: how British Bangladeshi gardeners have gone back to their roots
More and more members of the community are cultivating traditional fruit and veg as a way of connecting to the old country.
Visa bureaucracy makes scientific conferences inaccessible for too many researchers
I hung up the phone and tried to come to terms with the news. I had been hoping to present my work at an upcoming international conference, in the country that hosts nearly all major global scientific meetings. I had spent the past year working feverishly to obtain a visa. The process had been so drawn out that I had already missed two other conferences there. But I had been holding onto hope I would be able to attend this third oneâuntil the phone call with the embassy.
Ragged leaves, untidy corners and no pesticides: how to plant a butterfly garden
A butterfly-friendly back yard is not neat, but what is lost in nibbled leaves is made up for in fluttering colours, and an aid to conservation.
The Worldâs Roots Are Getting Shallower
Root-filled soils are hot spots of nutrient cycling and carbon storage. New research finds that the world has lost millions of cubic meters of rooted soil volumeâand weâre on track to lose much more.
Scientific Papers
Computational modeling and quantitative physiology reveal central parameters for brassinosteroid-regulated early cell physiological processes linked to elongation growth of the Arabidopsis root
GroĂeholz et al. combined computational modeling with quantitative cell physiology to understand the dynamics of the plasma membrane-localized brassinosteroid response pathway during the initiation of cellular responses in the epidermis of the Arabidopsis root tip that are be linked to cell elongation. The model, consisting of ordinary differential equations, comprises the brassinosteroid-induced hyperpolarization of the plasma membrane, the acidification of the apoplast and subsequent cell wall swelling. They demonstrate that the competence of the root epidermal cells for the brassinosteroid response predominantly depends on the amount and activity of H+-ATPases in the plasma membrane.
Structure of a TOC-TIC supercomplex spanning two chloroplast envelope membranes
The TOC and TIC complexes are essential translocons that facilitate the import of the nuclear genome-encoded preproteins across the two envelope membranes of chloroplast, but their exact molecular identities and assembly remain unclear. Jin et al. report a cryoelectron microscopy structure of TOC-TIC supercomplex from Chlamydomonas, containing a total of 14 identified components.
Wikstroemia fragrans (Thymelaeaceae, Daphneae), a new species from Mount Danxia, China based on morphological and molecular evidence
A new species, Wikstroemia fragrans (Thymelaeaceae, Daphneae), from Danxiashan National Park, Shaoguan, Guangdong of China is described and illustrated. It is similar to the sympatric W. trichotoma, but can be differentiated easily from the latter by its shorter racemose inflorescences, yellowish green calyx tube, and smaller leaves.
Multiple-omics reveal the role of transcription factor bHLH130 during low nitrogen in apple rootstock
Wang et al. utilized multi-omics approaches to investigate the mechanism of nitrogen uptake in two apple rootstocks with different responses to nitrogen stress, Malus hupehensis and Malus sieversii. Under low nitrogen stress, Malus sieversii showed higher efficiency in nitrogen uptake. Multi-omics analysis revealed substantial differences in the expression of genes involved in flavonoid and lignin synthesis pathway between the two materials, which were related to the corresponding metabolites. They discovered that basic helix-loop-helix 130 (bHLH130) transcription factor was highly negatively associated with the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway.
Recognition of Bloom/Yield in Crop Images Using Deep Learning Models for Smart Agriculture: A Review
Darwin et al. elucidate the diverse automation approaches for crop yield detection techniques with virtual analysis and classifier approaches. Technical hitches in the deep learning techniques have progressed with limitations and future investigations are also surveyed. This work highlights the machine vision and deep learning models which need to be explored for improving automated precision farming expressly during this pandemic.
The floral morphology of four Chinese Bambusa species (Poaceae, Bambusoideae) previously described only from vegetative material
Due to their specialised flowering biology where frequent or even annual flowering is uncommon, reproductive materials of bamboos are not always available, so hampering taxonomic interpretation and research into other aspects. Bambusa contracta, B. corniculata, B. cornigera and B. subtruncata were established only based on vegetative materials and flowering or fruiting material has been hitherto unknown. The floral morphology of these four species is described for the first time and, correspondingly, epitypes are designated to support a more complete interpretation of the species.
Structure, biochemical function and signaling mechanism of plant NLRs
Wang et al. first discuss structural and biochemical mechanisms of the non-canonical NLR Ca2+ channels, and then summarize our knowledge on immune-related Ca2+-permeable channels and their roles in PRR and NLR signaling. We also discuss a potential role of Ca2+ in the intricate interaction between PRR and NLR signaling.
Oreocharis qianyuensis, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Southwest, China based on morphological and molecular evidence
Oreocharis qianyuensis, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Southwest, China, is described and illustrated based on morphological comparisons and molecular phylogenetic analyses. Phylotranscriptomic analyses of the new species in the context of a comprehensive phylogeny with dense sampling of 88% (111/126) of all species of the genus indicated that the new species was most closely-related to O. fargesii. The new species is morphologically similar to O. fargesii and O. nanchuanica in the shape, color and structure of flowers and the number of stamens, but differs in the leaf blade shape, margin and the indumentum characters of the inflorescence.
Comparison of read mapping and variant calling tools for the analysis of plant NGS data
Schilbert et al. evaluated the performance of 50 different variant calling pipelines, including five read mappers and ten variant callers, on six real plant datasets of the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. Sets of variants were evaluated based on various parameters including sensitivity and specificity. They found that all investigated tools are suitable for analysis of NGS data in plant research.
Automatic identification and annotation of MYB gene family members in plants
This automatic annotation of the MYB gene family in novel assemblies makes genome-wide investigations consistent and paves the way for comparative studies in the future. Candidate genes for in-depth analyses are presented based on their orthology to previously characterized sequences which allows the functional annotation of the newly identified MYBs with high confidence. The identification of orthologs can also be harnessed to detect duplication and deletion events.
Global crop yields can be lifted by timely adaptation of growing periods to climate change
Minoli et al. integrate models of farmersâ decision making with biophysical crop modeling at the global scale to simulate crop calendars adaptation and its effect on crop yields of maize, rice, sorghum, soybean and wheat. We simulate crop growing periods and yields (1986-2099) under counterfactual management scenarios assuming no adaptation, timely adaptation or delayed adaptation of sowing dates and cultivars. We then compare the counterfactual growing periods and corresponding yields at the end of the century (2080-2099). They find that (i) with adaptation, temperature-driven sowing dates (typical at latitudes >30°N-S) will have larger shifts than precipitation-driven sowing dates (at latitudes <30°N-S); (ii) later-maturing cultivars will be needed, particularly at higher latitudes; (iii) timely adaptation of growing periods would increase actual crop yields by ~12%, reducing climate change negative impacts and enhancing the positive CO2 fertilization effect.
A synthesis of methane emissions from shallow vegetated coastal ecosystems
This review summarizes 97 studies describing CH4 fluxes from mangrove, salt marsh, and seagrass ecosystems and discusses factors controlling CH4 flux in these systems. CH4 fluxes from these ecosystems were highly variable yet they all act as net methane sources (median, range; mangrove: 279.17, â67.33 to 72,867.83; salt marsh: 224.44, â92.60 to 94,129.68; seagrass: 64.80, 1.25â401.50 ”mol CH4 mâ2 dayâ1). Together CH4 emissions from mangrove, salt marsh, and seagrass ecosystems are about 0.33â0.39 Tmol CH4-C/yearâan addition that increases the current global marine CH4 budget by more than 60%. The majority (~45%) of this increase is driven by mangrove CH4 fluxes. While organic matter content and quality were commonly reported in individual studies as the most important environmental factors driving CH4 flux, they were not significant predictors of CH4 flux when data were combined across studies. Salinity was negatively correlated with CH4 emissions from salt marshes, but not seagrasses and mangroves. Thus the available data suggest that other environmental drivers are important for predicting CH4 emissions in vegetated coastal systems.
Genome-wide dissection of changes in maize root system architecture during modern breeding
Ren et al. found that modern maize breeding has selected for a steeply angled root system. Favourable alleles related to steep root system angle have continuously accumulated over the course of modern breeding, and our data pinpoint the root-related genes that have been selected in different breeding eras. We confirm that two auxin-related genes, ZmRSA3.1 and ZmRSA3.2, contribute to the regulation of root angle and depth in maize.
ReadCube: https://rdcu.be/c0uBk
Trichoderma: a multipurpose, plant-beneficial microorganism for eco-sustainable agriculture
This review discusses the ecophysiology and diversity of Trichoderma and the complexity of its relationships in the agroecosystem, highlighting its potential as a direct and indirect biological control agent, biostimulant and biofertilizer, which are useful multipurpose properties for agricultural applications. Woo et al. also highlight how the present legislative framework might accommodate the demonstrated evidence of Trichoderma proficiency as a plant-beneficial microorganism contributing towards eco-sustainable agriculture.
ReadCube: https://rdcu.be/c0uBi
THP9 enhances seed protein content and nitrogen-use efficiency in maize
Teosinte, the wild ancestor of maize (Zea mays subsp. mays), has three times the seed protein content of most modern inbreds and hybrids, but the mechanisms that are responsible for this trait are unknown. Huang et al. use trio binning to create a contiguous haplotype DNA sequence of a teosinte (Zea mays subsp. parviglumis) and, through map-based cloning, identify a major high-protein quantitative trait locus, TEOSINTE HIGH PROTEIN 9 (THP9), on chromosome 9.
ReadCube: https://rdcu.be/c0uBp
Careers
Associate/Senior Editor, Nature Plants
Do you love science but feel that a career at the bench isnât enough to sate your desire to learn more about the natural world? Do you enjoy reading papers outside your chosen area of research? If the answer to these questions is yes, you could be the person weâre looking for to join the editorial team of Nature Plants. This is a great opportunity to learn and develop editorial skills, to interact with a multidisciplinary team and be on top of what is happening at the forefront of plant research.
Lab Technician - KU Leuven
Professor Devang Mehtaâs Laboratory for Experimental Plant Systems Biology is looking for a lab technician. They offer a fixed-term contract of one year, for 60% employment, which can be converted to an indefinite term in the event of a positive evaluation.
PhD in âClimate change effects on plant-enemy interactionsâ - Davos, Switzerland
You hold a master in ecology or a related field and you are a highly qualified and motivated student with a strong interest in climate change, plant ecology and biotic interactions. You enjoy field and lab work and have a good knowledge and interest in statistics and data analysis using R. Interest and skills in insect identification are an advantage. In addition, you are a team player and have a good command of written and spoken English.
Postdoc Plant stress resilience - Wageningen University
We are looking for two members to strengthen the developmental plasticity team, a PhD student (see other vacancy) and a post-doctoral researcher (this vacancy). Within the Vici project âPlant Stress Resilience; Think global, act localâ we investigate novel molecular pathways that are activated by salinity and drought to steer root architecture and timing of flowering.
PhD student Plant stress resilience - Wageningen University
We are looking for two members to strengthen the developmental plasticity team, a PhD student (this vacancy) and a post-doc (see other vacancy). Within the Vici project âPlant Stress Resilience; Think global, act localâ we investigate novel pathways that are activated by salinity and drought to steer root architecture and timing of flowering.
Postdoctoral Research Associate in Plant Molecular Physiology (2 year fixed term contract) - Cambridgeshire, UK
We are recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join our Crop Molecular Physiology group to work on a project exploring the role of phytohormones in regulating nitrogen response in cereal crops and to identify key regulatory components at the molecular level. Working primarily in the lab and occasionally glasshouses and field, your duties will include designing and conducting experiments, data analysis and manuscript preparation for peer-reviewed publications.
Phd student, Biology - SLU Sweden
The doctoral project will focus on analyzing the transcriptomic reprogramming of plant genomes (Arabidopsis thaliana and other model systems) during reproduction to exploit this knowledge to generate tools for plant breeding.
Join the Wildland Fire research team at UC Berkeley
The Stephens Wildland Fire Science Lab and Collins Landscape Fire Dynamics & Forest Management Lab at UC Berkeley are jointly seeking multiple fire ecology/fire science specialists to begin work in early 2023. These positions will support ongoing research, lead new studies, coordinate fire science outreach efforts, mentor student researchers, and organize/supervise field research crews. These positions will join a diverse team of motivated researchers in studying the role of fire in some of Californiaâs most dynamic and beautiful landscapes.
Postdoc Position in Bioinformatic - Uni Freiburg
Phosphatases are crucial enzymes in health and disease, but the knowledge of their biological roles is still limited. To support the research on phosphatases, the group of Prof. Köhn developed the human dephosphorylation database, DEPOD (www.depod.org), which is a public database on human phosphatases and their substrates (Sci. Signal. 2013, Nucleic Acids Res. 2015, Database 2019). The postdoctoral researcher will redesign, upgrade and expand this database by for example analyzing and integrating data from phosphoproteomics studies and including predictive analyses.
Postdoctoral Researcher in Plant Genomics - Lausanne
The candidates will join a highly-motivated and diverse group of researchers who study the genetics and genomics of crop domestication using tomato and related species as model system. The successful candidate will perform research on a project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation to investigate variation in gene regulatory sequences in the context of crop domestication. More specifically, the candidate will identify genome-wide changes in regulatory sequences that affected flowering during tomato domestication and engineer novel regulatory sequence variation by genome editing.
Head of Metabolomics Facility (f/m/d) - Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry
The successful candidate will lead the metabolomics laboratory and act as a co-speaker of the MetaCom Center jointly with the head of the Plant Computational Biochemistry Group (Dr. S. Neumann). The personnel of the metabolomics facility will consist of three senior scientists and five technical assistants. A central task is active involvement in collaborations with all IPB departments. In addition, the head of the metabolomics facility is expected to develop an independent line of research consistent with the mission of the IPB and to actively acquire third-party funding.
Professorship of Quantitative Plant Development - Cambridge
Candidates will have an outstanding research record of international stature in Quantitative Plant Development. Successful candidates are expected to have a proven track record of computational and/or mathematical modelling and interdisciplinary work relevant to understanding the regulation of plant growth and development. The position is open to everyone who meets the requirements, including both established professors and earlier career group leaders looking for the next stage in their development.
Professorship of Plant Development - Cambridge
Candidates will have an outstanding research record of international stature in Plant Development with a strong interest in interdisciplinary work. The position is open to everyone who meets the requirements, including both established professors and earlier career group leaders looking for the next stage in their development.
Associate/Full Professor - Plant Biology (Senior Leadership, Open Discipline) - Department of Plant and Microbial Biology - Berkley
We seek an exceptional scientist with an internationally recognized research program in modern plant biology, such as plant development, physiology or evolution, or plant responses and adaptations to the environment and climate change. Scientists whose research program has agricultural applications are encouraged to apply.
Tenure-Track Assistant Professor and Curator of Botany
The job is dedicated to collection-based research (systematics, taxonomy, biodiversity conservation or other relevant fields) and other museum duties, including scientific curation and public engagement. The curatorial work will focus on the botanical and mycological specimens in Herbarium C and in the Botanical Garden. This includes digitising the collections and making them available as an open-access resource for researchers, educators and other stakeholders; providing access to collections for national and international users; increasing the collections through active fieldwork, donations, acquisitions, etc. Other responsibilities include research-based teaching and student supervision.
Professor of Plant Pathology - University of Hertfordshire
The successful candidate will contribute to research in plant pathology, agriculture and climate change. The successful candidate will be expected to develop their career by contributing to the Schoolâs research and consultancy outputs, leading the Crop Protection and Climate Change group and acting as joint head of the UH Research Centre for Agriculture, Food and Environmental Management.
Assistant Curator of Living Collections
The Assistant Curator of Living Collections reports to the Keeper of the Living Collections and will play a leading role in curating one of Earthâs finest living collections of temperate woody plants. They will oversee and guide the Arboretumâs plant acquisition and exploration initiatives as part of the institutionâs ambitious Campaign for the Living Collections. They will also participate in efforts to study and research the Arboretumâs living collections. This is a five-year term appointment with an opportunity for an extension/permanent appointment.
The University of Vermont Plant Biology Department is hiring two new faculty members
Assistant Professor in Collections-Based Plant Evolutionary Biology/Plant Systematics
Lecturer in Plant Biology.
Senior Lecturer in Plant Biology (Education and Research) - University of Exeter
We are seeking to appoint a new Senior Lecturer who can fulfil research, teaching and administration duties as a Senior Lecturer in the field of plant biology.
Postdoctoral Research Scientist - Earlham Institute
We are looking for a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Scientist to develop experimental and bioinformatics pipelines that apply a cutting-edge spatial transcriptomics approach to investigate functional clock architecture at a single-cell resolution in Arabidopsis and wheat. This exciting project will use the plant circadian clock as a model to investigate the interplay of complex regulatory networks across multiple cell types and determine how cell state affects the clock.
Plant Science Fellow - Morris Arboretum
The Plant Science Fellow is a joint program between the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania and The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. The Plant Science Fellow receives training and work experience in many aspects of managing both physical and virtual herbarium collections, and an opportunity to gain experience in botanical research. This Fellowship requires a dedication to building a professional career in botany. This position is supported by the Eli Kirk Price Endowment.
Arborist Intern - Morris Arboretum
The Arboriculture Intern works alongside the Arborist in maintaining and caring for the trees on the Morris Arboretum's 167 acres. The intern participates in all aspects of tree care management, including tree pruning, tree removal, hazard inspection, tree support systems and integrated pest management. The intern will learn climbing techniques and basic arboriculture concepts. The Arboriculture Internship is physically demanding and involves climbing and working in trees at heights in excess 60-80 ft.
Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Environmental Science - University of Nottingham
We are looking to fill the position of Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Environmental Sciences to prepare and deliver teaching and a range of engaging student-centred learning activities. We are particularly looking for individuals with experience of working in marine and freshwater ecology or conservation.
Postdoctoral Research Associate (Fixed Term) - University of Cambridge
Applications are invited for a post-doctoral research associate in Cassava genetics to work with Prof Uta Paszkowski at the Crop Science Centre, starting early February 2023. The Crop Science Centre which opened in October 2020 benefits from the diverse skills and expertise of the University of Cambridge and NIAB, providing an environment for research excellence in crops, with the drive and expertise for scientific translation to address real-world problems.
Research Fellow, Ecophysiology and Urban Ecology - University of Melbourne
The position involves working with researchers in the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences (SEFS) at the University of Melbourne to examine tree and shrub responses to drought and disturbance (coppicing) as part of the Woody Meadow Project, an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project. Woody Meadows are highly diverse plantings of trees and shrubs which are managed by coppicing to promote flowering and reduce maintenance through dense canopies. The project has established a network of woody meadows across Melbourne and aims to identify species responses to different site conditions, planting arrangement/design and maintenance regimes.
Research Assistant, Biological Sciences - National University of Singapore
A Research Assistant position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Eunyoung Chae at the National University of Singapore, Department of Biological Sciences. The Chae lab studies natural variation in the plant immune system using genetic, genomic and biochemical approaches. The successful candidate will have an opportunity to work in a stimulating academic environment and to gain practical experiences in biological sciences.
Research Fellow, Biological Sciences - National University of Singapore
We are looking for a self-initiated, energetic research fellow to join the group with background and interest in computational biology and handling large biological/molecular data-sets. He will work with a cross-disciplinary team to build and develop guided models for nutrients-nutraceuticals resource partitioning for specialized pathways and metabolic networks of interest targeting plant phytochemicals and plant-microbiome environment relationships.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Traits) - National University of Singapore
The Department of Geography at the National University of Singapore (https://fass.nus.edu.sg/geog/) is seeking one full-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow (RF) with relevant experience to work on leaf and canopy traits in tropical Asia. The RF is expected to lead the field and lab work on collecting essential physiological and structural traits of plants in tropical Asia. The main field site will be in Singapore. The RF is expected to integrate the advanced knowledge in ecological theories and remote sensing to explore the key processes governing the variations in traits, and provide large scale estimate of traits. The ideal candidate is expected to be highly creative, have strong numerical and critical thinking skills, and the ability to work in a diverse environment.
Postdoctoral Fellow - University of Idaho
This position will work with the UI Pale Cyst Nematode (PCN) project. The research project focuses on potato cyst nematodes with special emphasis on the pale cyst nematode (Globodera pallida) which is under state and federal regulation. The incumbent will join a multidisciplinary team conducting research to eradicate G. pallida. The incumbent will conduct independent and cooperative research to evaluate potential stimulatory, or inhibitory compounds from for potential trap crops for development as potential control measures against G. pallida. The incumbent will also use molecular approaches to understand molecular changes associated with expression of genes when exposed to either stimulatory or inhibitory compounds. The incumbent is expected to produce manuscripts for submission, mentor graduate and undergraduate students in the laboratory as they assist in the conduct of research, attend conferences to present research results, and participate in grant writing to further the research.
Research Fellow (Plant Nanotechnology) - National University of Singapore
Research in the Lew Lab focuses on engineering innovative nanoparticle-based technologies to efficiently deliver proteins and biomolecules for plant engineering, and to monitor plant signalling pathways non-destructively (Lew et al, Nat Plants 2020; Kwak & Lew et al, Nat Nanotech 2019). Trainees will be exposed to a rich and exciting training environment at the emerging field of plant nanotechnology.