Doctoral Candidate f/m/d in Plant Proteomics, Bioinformatics, and Biology

The graduate college “The Proteomes that Feed the World”:

Plants are the nutritional basis of life on Earth, and protein-rich plant foods are a global megatrend essential for sustaining a growing human population and counteracting climate change. However, little is known about crop proteomes – the entirety of proteins that execute and control nearly every aspect of life. Therefore, TUM pursues for the second time the visionary doctoral program with high socio-economic relevance on the topic of “The Proteomes that Feed the World” with the aims:

1. To train and develop future leaders in science, industry, and society who excel in research, management, and communication.
2. To conduct studies with the proteome atlas of the 100 most important crop plants for human nutrition.

The project:

Peptides are short, biologically synthesized chains of amino acids that play central roles in a wide range of physiological processes. This PhD project, based at the Bavarian Center for Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry (BayBioMS), focuses on uncovering the functional landscape of defense-associated peptides in crop species. The successful candidate will investigate how plant peptidomes adapt and respond to biotic and abiotic stressors, with particular emphasis on pathogen attack, elevated temperatures, and water limitation.

Requirements:

Candidates must hold an internationally recognized MSc degree in a life science discipline, such as analytical (bio-)chemistry, plant biology, or omics-related fields. Essential skills include proficiency in biological and (bio)chemical concepts and some expertise in performing and analyzing proteomics or related omics experiments. Additional desirable skills include data mining, data integration, and statistical analysis in R or Python.

Our offer:

The position will be available for four years (10/26 – 09/30). Remuneration is in accordance with TV-L E13, depending on the professional qualification.