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Ph.D. studentship position in the molecular ecology of trees

Will Cook cwcook at duke.edu
Wed Oct 6 08:57:27 EST 2004


------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date: Wed, 06 Oct 2004 01:12:13 -0700
From: Trevor Fenning <fenning at ice.mpg.de>
Subject: Ph.D. studentship position in the molecular ecology of trees

Dear Colleagues,

Please pass this advert on to any promising students with a background 
in botany, plant molecular biology / biochemistry / genetics, whom you 
feel may be interested in studying the ecological interactions of trees 
at the molecular level. Do note, however, that in order to be registered 
for a Ph.D. at a German University it is usually necessary to hold the 
equivalent of a German Diploma degree (e.g. an M.Sc.), but non-German 
candidates applying with a good Honors degree can also be considered. 
The language of the institute is English, although it is possible to 
write and defend the Ph.D. thesis in English or German, as preferred by 
the candidate. The Ph.D. student would be registered with Professor M. 
Hilker of the the Angewandte Zoologie / Oekologie der Tiere (Institute 
of Biology), at the Freie Universität in Berlin.


Yours,

Trevor Fenning,
*_
_*October 5th 2004*_
_*Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology,
Jena, Germany.
*_


Ph.D. position to study the molecular aspects of the ecological 
interactions between the European field elm and the elm leaf beetle

A position for a Ph.D. student is available at the Max Planck Institute 
for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany 
(http://www.ice.mpg.de/main/home/home_en.htm), preferably starting on or 
soon after January 1st , 2005.

Larvae and adults of the specialist elm leaf beetle (Xanthogaleruca 
luteola) are major natural pests of the European field elm (Ulmus 
campestris), and can defoliate whole trees. Field elms respond to 
oviposition of these beetles by releasing novel blends of volatiles, 
which attract the elm leaf beetle egg parasitoid Oomyzus gallerucae, 
even in the absence of herbivory.

It is the intention of this project to dissect how elms control these 
responses at the molecular & genetic levels, including by the use of 
biochemical and physiological analyses, cDNA libraries, large scale gene 
sequencing, DNA micro-arrays, genetic transformation and rigorous 
ecological experimentation. Of particular interest are the terpene and 
octadecanoid biosynthetic pathways, as well as any other aspects of the 
signaling cascade found to be involved. The successful candidate should 
ideally be familiar with biochemical and molecular techniques, but above 
all they must be enthusiastic about plant – insect interactions and be 
willing to learn.

The Ph.D. position on offer will be based in Jena, and will concentrate 
upon the molecular – genetic aspects of the field elms responses, but 
will be in close cooperation with Dr. Torsten Meiners of the Institute 
of Biology, at the Freie Universität in Berlin, who will work on the 
ecological and volatile signaling aspects 
(http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~meito/index.htm). The project is 
jointly funded by these institutions and the Deutsche 
Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation), but will also 
involve collaborating with the Department of Plant Sciences at the 
University of Arizona and the University of Abertay Dundee in Scotland.

The contract and salary will be according to the German BAT federal 
public service scale at BAT IIa/2. To be sure of receiving a full 
consideration, interested students should send an application to arrive 
not later than Friday the 29th of October, including a curriculum 
vitae, copies of University degrees/records, together with a brief 
summary of research achievements and two letters of recommendation to 
Dr. T.M. Fenning fenning at ice.mpg.de, or by 
mail to :

The Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Hans-Knöll-Straße 8
D-07745 Jena
Germany

Informal inquiries should be sent to the above email address or directed 
to Ms. Angela Schneider (Biochemistry Department, phone +49 
(0)3641-57-1301). Applicants should hold the equivalent of a German 
Diploma degree or M.Sc., in botany, plant molecular biology, 
biochemistry, or genetics. A fluency in English is essential, although 
the Ph.D. thesis can be submitted and defended in English or German.

The Max Planck Society and the Freie Universität of Berlin are equal 
opportunity employers, and international applications are encouraged.

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