Research Scientist, Doctoral Researcher, Tree breeding

We are looking for a doctoral researcher for a project "Thousand Ways to Die -evolutionary and molecular background of excessive early developmental mortality in Scots pine" realized jointly by the University of Helsinki and Luke.

The Doctoral Researcher will carry out doctoral research in accordance with the project's research plan. The aim is to investigate the reproductive system of Scots pine and the high mortality of seed embryos during early developmental stages.

The main research topics are inbreeding depression and possible self-incompatibility mechanisms affecting embryo viability. We will use advanced methods, such as spatial transcriptomics, to investigate gene expression in seeds under different conditions and at different developmental stages. We will also compare natural embryo development with somatic embryogenesis, as well as the factors affecting these. The aim is to understand how mutation, purifying selection and adaptive evolution influence embryo viability, which may improve seed quality and enhance forest regeneration.

The Doctoral Researcher's role in the project's sub-studies will be determined partly by the person's skills and interests, as the project will employ also Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Helsinki.

The project is being carried out jointly by the University of Helsinki and the Natural Resources Institute Finland. The Postdoctoral Researcher will be employed by Luke, while supervision related to the doctoral degree will be provided by the University of Helsinki (Professor Pyhäjärvi, https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/forest-genomics ). The selected person will apply separately to the university's doctoral programme.

The position requires regular on-site presence and participation in field and laboratory work. Field trials will be conducted at Haapastensyrjä in Loppi and at seed orchards, while laboratory work will take place in Helsinki and, for somatic embryogenesis, at Savonlinna.

We expect applicants