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You will be working in the Laboratory of Functional Plant Biology at Ghent University in Belgium, headed by Dominique Van Der Straeten (See www.fpb.ugent.be for more information on our work).

The goal of the project is to identify novel ethylene biosynthesis and signaling inhibitors, useful in ethylene research but also with potential application in agriculture or horticulture. We aim at identification and characterization of compounds from a natural products library, prescreened using an in silico toolbox of computational chemistry technologies related to structure- and ligand-based design, and on the interaction between an ethylene receptor and a key signal transduction factor. An in vivo validation in Arabidopsis will be performed, after which the activity of hit compounds will be tested over a range of concentrations to determine IC50 values. Additionally, structure-activity relationship analyses will be conducted to gain insights into the functional groups. Subsequently, the mode of action of the most active compounds on ethylene biosynthesis and signaling will be investigated using in silico docking analysis. Enzyme activity tests, phenotypic assays, and ethylene and precursor analyses will follow. The 10 best candidates will be subjected to a more detailed analysis, including expression of key players in ethylene biosynthesis, signaling and response. The latter will help to select compounds targeting specific output pathways, e.g. fruit maturation and ripening, or stress responses.

In silico, biochemical, and molecular techniques will be used to characterize the candidate compounds. Hence, a broad interest and expertise are an asset.

The successful applicant will hold a (recently awarded) PhD degree in biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, or bio-engineering/applied biological sciences. We are looking for an enthusiastic scientist with excellent laboratory skills, who functions well in a team, and has a proven track record of research in the field of molecular plant physiology-biochemistry, endorsed by first author publications in high standard international peer-reviewed journals. Expertise with in silico structural analysis and protein-ligand interaction algorithms is required, as well as a thorough knowledge of molecular techniques (a.o. GoldenGate/GoldenBraid cloning, Q-RT-PCR) and standard software packages (Microsoft Excel, Photoshop/Illustrator, RStudio). Expertise in docking analyses is a highly valuable asset. Experience with confocal microscopy is a plus. Communications and presentations at international conferences, as well as research experience in a country different from the country of origin are also considered assets. Experience in leading research activities which resulted in Master theses is another plus.

Applicants should be fluent in English (both in verbal and written communication) and have excelled in their studies (at least one great distinction/magna cum laude in the curriculum; or a minimal GPA score 3,2 out of 4).

Please send your CV including publication record, a description of research interests and skills, together with the names and email addresses of 3 referees, and a motivation letter, to:

fpb.admin@ugent.be mentioning 'postdoc ethylene' in the subject line.