Eidgenössisches Departement für Wirtschaft, Bildung und Forschung WBF
Forschungsanstalt Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon ART
Fachbereich PUR, Fachgruppe Personal
Stellenausschreibung ART
Ph.D. student position “Are healthy cereals safe cereals?
Resistance against Fusarium diseases.” 100%
Organisation
The Research Station Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon ART conducts research for an environmental friendly, competitive agriculture. We combine ecology, economy and agricultural technology in an integrated research approach and develop scientifically-based support tools for growers, government authorities and society. A Ph.D. student position is available in the research group “Ecological Plant Protection”.
Position
Research will be carried out within the framework of the National Research Programme 69. The project “HEALTHY & SAFE” aims to investigate wheat, oat and barley varieties with enhanced contents of health promoting compounds and their role to reduce the risk of contamination by health threatening mycotoxins.
The main output of this project is the development of strategies to avoid toxin accumulation using suitable cropping factors, improved genotypes and a forecasting system.
You will concentrate on establishing an inventory on the occurrence of Fusarium species in small grain cereals and the underlying environmental and agronomic factors. Furthermore, you will investigate the epidemiology of the most prevalent species in oats and barley. The position also includes close collaboration with another Ph.D. student focusing on disease resistances provided by health promoting compounds. Tasks include maintenance of laboratory, climate chamber and field experiments, grain sample analyses, data acquisition, statistical analysis and interpretation, as well as publication of results at the national and international level. Knowledge transfer is an important part of this project; hence, participation at workshops with representatives from the Swiss cereal und nutrition branch is part of the programme. We offer a highly interdisciplinary education and excellent scientific training within our research group.
Requirements
We are seeking highly motivated, team-oriented candidates with a strong interest in agricultural issues. Applicants should hold a master level degree in agronomy, biology or environmental sciences with excellent grades. Experience in the fields of phytopathology and analytical chemistry would be an asset. We expect very good knowledge of English and basic understanding of German. Driving license required.
Conditions
The duration of the position is three years. The salary is according to the guidelines of the Swiss National Science Foundation. The working place will be at the Swiss Federal Research Station Agroscope ART in Zurich-Affoltern, Switzerland. The project will start on 15 December 2013.
Application
Deadline for application: 23 September 2013. Please mention the keyword “Healthy&Safe_ZH” on your letter of application. Applicants should submit a complete academic record, CV, statement of research interests, copies of certificates and addresses of 2-3 potential references to: Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon ART, Fachgruppe Personal, Thomas Zehnder, Reckenholzstrasse 191, CH-8046 Zürich or e-mail to human_resources@art.admin.ch. For further information, please contact: Dr. Susanne Vogelgsang, head of research group “Ecological Plant Protection”, phone +41 44 377 72 29, e-mail: susanne.vogelgsang@agroscope.admin.ch. Do not send applications to this e-mail address.
