Offer Description
Work environment :
The PhD will be hosted at the IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement) within the UMR DIADE (UM/IRD/CIRAD) in Montpellier, France.
The IRD contributes to strengthening the resilience of societies in the face of global upheavals. Present in over 50 countries across Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific, as well as in mainland France and its overseas territories, IRD’s research activities address priority needs: climate change mitigation and adaptation, poverty and inequality reduction, biodiversity preservation, access to healthcare, and consideration of social dynamics. Research questions are developed in collaboration with local stakeholders and populations. IRD advocates for research that benefits the greatest number of people, supporting the transformation of societies toward fairer and more sustainable social, economic, and ecological models.
UMR DIADE (UM/IRD/CIRAD) studies the genetic diversity of plants of agronomic or ecological interest, both for the purpose of describing and preserving plant heritage and improving crops. The unit aims to contribute to Southern countries in obtaining phenotypes adapted to their environments and supporting sustainable agriculture.
Main mission :
Over 80% of terrestrial plant species, including most major crops such as cereals, establish arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis with soil fungi. AM fungi enhance nutrient acquisition and use efficiency in plants, particularly for immobile nutrients like phosphorus (P). In return, the plant provides carbon to the fungi. Beyond mineral nutrition, AM symbiosis is also proposed to benefit the host plant by improving its tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the benefits of AM symbiosis remain difficult to reliably measure under realistic agricultural conditions and thus to improve. The goal of this PhD project is to quantify the contribution of AM symbiosis to sorghum performance, stress tolerance, and rhizosphere microbiome dynamics under field conditions, thereby addressing a critical gap for the adaptation of this crop to future climates.
Activities :
By leveraging a unique set of sorghum mutants with altered AM symbiosis capacity, the student will evaluate the impact of this symbiosis on yield, grain quality, and resilience to abiotic stresses (terminal drought) and biotic stresses (downy mildew, charcoal rot) in West Africa. Additionally, microbiome analyses will characterize the impact of AM symbiosis on microbial communities associated with the rhizosphere and roots, using 16S and ITS amplicon sequencing.
Supervision:
The PhD will be co-supervised by Laurent Laplaze (DR IRD, HDR) and David Pot (Ch CIRAD, HDR), with mentorship from other consortium members. Weekly meetings with supervisors and mentors will ensure progress tracking and activity planning. The PhD will primarily take place within the CERES team (10 researchers, 3 technical staff) of UMR DIADE (http://diade.ird.fr/) at the IRD center in Montpellier. The student will have access to:
- Bioinformatics tools and expertise via the iTrop platform,
- Greenhouses and phenotyping equipment,
- Functional genomics resources via the Genetrop platform.
The student will participate in the team’s weekly meetings and receive support from the GIV and Eco&Sols teams to ensure optimal planning and execution of experiments. This will provide access to a wide range of scientific expertise, from genetics and physiology of stress responses to soil sciences. Some experiments will be funded by the ANR SorDrought project (2024–2027) and the PEPR FairCarbon RhizoSeqC project (2015–2019), involving the three Montpellier teams. The student will also interact with international collaborators in Senegal.
The gross monthly salary is €2,300
Contract duration: 3 years
Contract date from 01/11/2026 to 31/10/2029
Where to apply
E-mail: laurent.laplaze@ird.fr
Requirements
Research Field: Biological sciences » Biology
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Research Field: Biological sciences » Botany
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
The candidate must hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Biological Sciences (biology or botany), with a strong motivation to study plant adaptation mechanisms to environmental constraints. Solid theoretical knowledge in plant biology and genetics, as well as advanced statistical skills, are required. The PhD will involve fieldwork in Senegal.
Additional Information
Selection process
Please submit your application to laurent.laplaze@ird.fr & david.pot@cirad.fr
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: DIversité Adaptation et DEveloppement des plantes (DIADE)
Country: France
Contact
City: Montpellier
Website: http://www.umontpellier.fr/
Street: 163 rue Auguste Broussonnet
Postal Code: 34000
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