PhD in Temperature Responsiveness in Snowdrops — Wageningen University

Key details

• Host institution: Wageningen University & Research
• Location: Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg, Wageningen, Netherlands
• Application deadline: July 1, 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

The Laboratory of Nematology at Wageningen University & Research is seeking a motivated and curiosity-driven PhD researcher to join its genomics team. You will be part of an interdisciplinary and collaborative team of experimentalists and bioinformaticians, working with the Plant Stress Resilience group at Utrecht University on a recently funded project investigating temperature responsiveness in Snowdrop (Galanthus spp.) and A. thaliana.

Your challenge

You will develop and apply genetic, genomic (e.g., Iso-Seq and RNAseq), and phenomics tools to model temperature dose-responsiveness in Snowdrops. A key aim is to generate the first reference transcriptome for this iconic species. You will collaborate with a PhD researcher at Utrecht University (focusing on A. thaliana) to design, conduct, and analyze experiments at the Netherlands Plant Eco-Phenotyping Center (NPEC). Early in the project, you will set up a citizen science initiative and perform fieldwork to collect a diversity panel of Snowdrop accessions for your research.

Your duties and responsibilities

• Conduct transcriptomic analyses (Iso-Seq, RNAseq) and characterize natural genetic variation in Snowdrops.
• Obtain and analyze phenotypic data via NPEC.
• Model phenotypic and transcriptomic responses to temperature dose.
• Lead a citizen science approach to collect Snowdrop varieties needed for the project.

Your workplace

The research is embedded within the Laboratory of Nematology, led by Prof. Geert Smant. Your daily supervisor will be Dr. Mark Sterken, who specializes in non-model species genetics and genomics. The Wageningen team includes two technicians (for experimental work and bioinformatics) and several PhD candidates. You will work closely with the ‘temperature team’ of the Plant Stress Resilience group at Utrecht University, led by Dr. Martijn van Zanten, where you will be hosted for the citizen science and phenomics aspects of the project. Your research will be part of the Graduate School of Experimental Plant Sciences (EPS).