PhD in Epigenomic Editing and Plant Adaptation – Utrecht University

Key details

• Host institution: Utrecht University
• Location: Utrecht University, Domplein 29, Utrecht, Netherlands
• Application deadline: September 17, 2026

Funding

Not funded by a EU programme

Funding level (from listing): partial or not via EU framework — confirm on the official call.

How to apply

• Apply by email to [email protected] (subject line and attachments per the official instructions).
• Full vacancy text and updates: Euraxess listing.

About the position

To address climate change and other environmental challenges, the capacity for rapid adaptation is crucial for both natural plant populations and crops. Heritable trait variation fuels such adaptation. While this variation can arise from genetic and epigenetic sources alike, the true contribution of epigenetics to plant adaptation remains uncertain. The primary challenge lies in distinguishing genetic from epigenetic effects and establishing a causal relationship between DNA methylation variants and gene expression.

This PhD position is part of a collaborative project between Utrecht University (UU) and the Netherlands Institute of Ecology in Wageningen (NIOO-KNAW). The project uses an apomictic dandelion lineage as a unique model system. Because apomictic plants reproduce through clonal seeds, they allow researchers to disentangle genetic from epigenetic effects with unprecedented clarity. The broader project combines high-resolution analysis of genetic, epigenetic, and gene expression variation at NIOO-KNAW (a sister PhD project) with the genomic and epigenomic editing approach of this PhD project at UU.

Your duties and responsibilities

In this PhD project, your central aim will be to establish causal links between DNA methylation, gene expression, and inherited traits by developing and deploying advanced epigenomic editing tools. Your specific duties will include:

• Developing and using state-of-the-art CRISPR/Cas9-based technologies to target the DNA methylation maintenance machinery, inducing genome-wide hypomethylation to identify genes regulated by methylation.
• Deploying an advanced, inducible SunTag-TET1cd epigenomic editing system to target specific candidate epialleles, allowing you to prove the causal link between DNA methylation and gene expression.
• Investigating the transgenerational stability of these epigenetic marks over multiple generations.

This project represents a frontier in ecological epigenetics, marking the first application of epigenomic editing in a wild, non-model plant species. Beyond fundamental evolutionary questions, your work will contribute to the development of new transient (epi)genomic editing tools for asexual plants—technologies with significant potential applications for the improvement and breeding of clonally propagated crops. This full-time position will be based at Utrecht University and is well-suited for a highly motivated researcher eager to work at the intersection of epigenetics, genome editing, and plant adaptation.