Postdoctoral fellow in quantitative genetics to develop hybrid breeding in cool-season grasses

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral fellowship position at the Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, Denmark. We are seeking applicants for a 24-month position in quantitative and hybrid breeding in cool-season grasses.
 

Expected start date and duration of employment

The position is available from May 1st, 2025.
 

Job description

The primary focus of this position is to develop a hybrid breeding program for perennial ryegrass, optimize the selection of plant traits that control yield and quality traits, and to identify genes that provide for tolerance and resistance to other abiotic and biotic stresses. The incumbent is expected to expand the quantitative understanding of heterosis, combining ability, and hybrid prediction and to develop a nationally and internationally recognized research program as measured by high-quality peer-reviewed publications. The incumbent is also expected to develop strong partnerships with other leading scientists and industrial partners worldwide in the area of hybrid breeding.


Your profile

We are looking for a highly motivated team member with a strong interest in plant science, quantitative genetics and plant breeding, able to plan and conduct research independently.

Qualifications:

1. A PhD in relevant disciplines such as plant/animal breeding, quantitative genetics, quantitative genomics, statistics, or related fields.
2. Expertise and proven track record of successful research in plant genetics and breeding.
3. Programming expertise in e.g., R and python and analytic thinking.
4. Expertise in high-performance computing.
5. Good communication and writing skills in English.
6. Experience in writing scientific manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals.
7. Expertise in hybrid breeding in crops.
8. Expertise in artificial intelligence.
9. Knowledge in analysis of multi-environmental trials.
10. Experience in preparing reports and presentations for the stakeholders.
11. Enthusiasm, commitment and a strong interest in plant science
12. Excellent oral and written communication skills
13. Strong team-working skills
     

Who we are

The Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics (QGG) is a vibrant and exciting interdisciplinary center for research and education in quantitative genetics and quantitative genomics (http://www.qgg.au.dk/en). QGG is an international organization with 70 employees and visiting researchers from more than 20 countries. We perform basic and applied research within plant, livestock and human quantitative genetics. Our focus areas include quantitative genetics, artificial intelligence applied to agriculture and precision medicine, population genetics, and integrative genomics. QGG is located at the central campus in Aarhus and at the AU Flakkebjerg campus in newly renovated offices with well-developed research infrastructure, laboratories, equipment, and high-performing computing clusters.


What we offer

• A welcoming and collaborative atmosphere with close working relationships in teams, professionalism, equality and a healthy work-life balance.
• Training and international experience in public-private partnerships.
• Mentoring for career development.
• High-performance computational resources.
• A collaborative environment, in which the candidate will be able to share across research fields such as quantitative genetics, machine learning, bioinformatics, and population genetics and applications in agriculture.
• The position provides excellent possibilities for publications in peer-reviewed journals.
   

Place of work

The place of work is Aarhus University, Research Center Flakkebjerg, Forsøgsvej 1, 4200 Slagelse, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments.
 

Contact information

For further information and scientific enquiries please contact Professor Torben Asp ([email protected]).
 

Deadline

Applications must be received no later than the 1st of February 2025.
 


Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.


Letter of reference

If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.


Formalities and salary range

Technical Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.
 


Aarhus University

Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/