Postdoc - Avocado

Department of Plant Breeding
We teach and conduct strategic and applied research on horticultural and agricultural crops with the goal of providing knowledge, tools and products for a bio-based economy, a sustainable environment and improved human health. We have active breeding programs on apple, potato, and blackcurrant targeting northern Europe. Pre-breeding research is carried out on cereals, energy and oil crops as well as fruit and berries. This research also includes the domestication of species with high potential for use in food and other products. This postdoc position is focused on characterize the genetic and ecological diversity of avocado resources for adaptation to climate change and farmers’ wellbeing in Tanzania. It is to a major part funded by a research grant within development research from The Swedish Research Council.

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at SLU at https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/

Duties:
As a postdoc you will work to:


• assess the racial origin of avocados in Tanzania;
• examine the genetic architecture of avocado adaptation across the heterogeneous elevation and microclimate gradients in Tanzania;
• quantify the extent and genomic landscape of gene flow among avocado races in Tanzania;
• harness avocado genetic resources in the secondary center of diversity i.e. Tanzania, to enrich climate change resilience and facilitate farmers’ access to seedling material with high genetic quality and traceability.

Qualifications:

• PhD in genetics is required
• Experience in genomic prediction approaches on forest trees
• Knowledge and experience of work in phenotyping crops under field and greenhouse conditions is important
• Modelling of breeding values (GEBV) for selection and association genetics using a genome wide association study approach (GWAS) is necessary
• Proven experience of working with fruit tree crops such as avocado is desirable
• Proven experience in writing and publishing in peer-reviewed scientific journals
• Experience of coordinating research projects is a merit
• Excellent command in spoken and written English.

Place of work:
Alnarp

Form of employment:
Temporary employment, 24 months, with the possibility of extension.

Extent:
100%

Starting date:
2023-08-01

Application:
We welcome your application no later than 2023-07-17, use the button below.

Academic union representatives:
https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/



The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has a key role in the development for sustainable life, based on science and education. Through our focus on the interaction between humans, animals and ecosystems and the responsible use of natural resources, we contribute to sustainable societal development and good living conditions on our planet. Our main campuses are located in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, however, the university also operates at research stations, experimental forests and teaching sites throughout Sweden.

SLU has around 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and doctoral students and a turnover of over SEK 3 billion. We are investing in attractive environments on all of our campuses. We strive to provide a work environment characterised by inclusivity and gender equality, where different experiences generate conversations between people and pave the way for science, creativity and development. Therefore, we welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.