30 PhD student and 2 post-doctoral positions at the Collaborative Research Centre 1644 Phenotypic plasticity in plants Mechanisms, constraints and evolution bei Universität Potsdam

Job Announcement

The DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center CRC 1644 “Phenotypic plasticity in
plants - mechanisms, constraints and evolution”, hosted at the University of Potsdam
jointly with its partner institutions MPI for Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam, Hasso Platt-
ner Institute Potsdam, IGZ Großbeeren, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and University of Co-
logne, invites applications for

30 PhD student and 2 post-doctoral positions

in the field of plant phenotypic plasticity, with a focus on quantitative genetics, cell, develop-
mental and molecular biology, physiology, plant ecology, metabolomics, and computational
modelling.
The approved first funding period for CRC 1644 is from 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2027.
Employment is thus possible for up to 45 months. The positions will be located at the University
of Potsdam or one of the partner institutions named above.
Plants have colonised almost every habitat on Earth. A major feature that has enabled this
success is the remarkable ability of plants to adjust their growth and development to variable
environments. The ability of a given genotype to generate different phenotypes in different
environments is termed phenotypic plasticity. Such plasticity is a universal feature of life, and
understanding its molecular basis and evolution is a fundamental goal in biology that forms the
focus of CRC 1644. To achieve this goal, our consortium integrates genetics, cell and devel-
opmental biology, physiology, evolutionary biology, functional ecology, computational biology
and mathematical modeling. We strive for a step-change in our understanding of plant pheno-
typic plasticity as an evolving trait of critical importance for crop breeding and to the fate of
plant populations under environmental change.
CRC 1644 provides an outstanding research infrastructure including a large interdisciplinary
network of researchers, state-of-the-art facilities, and funding opportunities for conference vis-
its, summer schools, hosting international experts, and acquistion of soft skills. CRC 1644
strives to increase the proportion of women in STEM research.
The website www.uni-potsdam.de/en/ppp/ provides more information on

• the scientific framework of this call
• individual projects, respective open positions and terms of employment,
• candidate responsibilities and required qualifications
• online application procedure

The PhD student positions are available in projects A1 to B7, as indicated on the website. The
post-doctoral positions are in computational biology in project Z2.

Your Application
Your application should include a CV, a letter of motivation stating the positions (with IDs) you
are applying for and explaining why you wish to pursue a PhD and why you have chosen the
respective projects to apply for, relevant certificates, names and addresses for two academic
referees, and the completed form that you can find here for download: https://www.uni-pots-
dam.de/en/ppp/job-portal/jobs.
Please apply by the deadline of 31.01.2024 via email to mailcrc1644@uni-potsdam.de.

Potsdam, 21.12.2023