One Postdoctoral position in Plant Evolutionary Developmental Biology

Job description

One Postdoc position on mechanisms underlying flower diversity in Zingiberales at Yunnan University

A Postdoc position is available at the Department of Ecology, The School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, China. We seek highly motivated candidates join in Hong Liao’s research group for the project “mechanisms underlying flower diversity in Zingiberales”. The Postdoc position is a full-time and limited to two years but with the possibility of a two-year extension.

Last day for the job post

This recruitment is valid until a suitable candidate is recruited. 

Project description

This project is part of a significant research program funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and two other foundations from Yunnan Province Science and Technology Department in China. The project aims to uncover mechanisms responsible for the formation of the diversity of flowers in Zingiberales. It emphasizes understanding the evolutionary and developmental mechanisms of staminodes and also elucidating the roles of CYC-like genes in monocots. This research will contribute to understanding the conservation and variation of the functions of CYC-like genes across angiosperms.

Research areas

Our group investigates the reasons and mechanisms behind the diversity of flowers and key innovations in angiosperms by combining various techniques in plant morphology, multidimensional omics, phylogeny, molecular biology, biological chemistry, cell biology, and genetics. Additionally, our findings will facilitate the development of new economically valuable flower and plant varieties.

Eligibility requirements

For Postdoc position:

1. Applicants must hold a doctorate in plant biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, or related fields from a university/research institute and be under 35 years old.

2. Strong research abilities and interest are essential.

3. Full-time commitment is required.

Salary and benefits

Salary will adhere to Yunnan University's local standards.

Accommodation for Postdoc position will not be offered by the university, but you can easily find affordable and comfortable houses in the residential districts, all of which are near the campus.

Yunnan University offers kindergarten and primary school options close to the campus for children.

Children can study in the kindergarten or primary school of Yunnan University, both of which are close to the campus.

Application procedure

Applicants should submit up-to-date application documents as a single pdf-document to Professor Hong Liao (Email: liaohong@ynu.edu.cn). The document must include the following materials:

l  Certified copies of doctor’s degree or master’s degree certificate, or documentations indicating the expected completion date.

l  A comprehensive introduction detailing qualifications, experiences, scientific interests, and motivation for application.

l  A list of publications and the full texts of those publications.

l  Additional documents which showcase your capacities and skills.

Contact information

Professor Hong Liao

Email: liaohong@ynu.edu.cn

Phone: +86-18800184256

Lab homepage: http://www.see.ynu.edu.cn/contents/13/148.html

About the School of Ecology and Environmental Science

The School of Ecology and Environmental Science at Yunnan University was established based on YNU’s goal of developing into a world-class university with world-class disciplines and establishing a top ecology discipline in Chinese higher education. As an international first-class discipline recognized by the Ministry of Education, Yunnan University began to train graduate students in ecology as early as 1956 and was qualified to offer doctoral degrees in 1989. In 2002, ecology at YNU was selected as a national key discipline and ranked second (tied) in the 2012 national discipline evaluation. At present, the school has two undergraduate majors in ecology and environmental science and engineering, of which ecology and environmental science are national specialty and key majors in Yunnan province. It provides bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral programs. The ecology discipline of YNU began in 1937. When the world-renowned mathematician and educator Professor Xiong Qinglai served as president of YNU, he believed that Yunnan's biological resources and ecological environment had unique advantages and that the development of biological and ecological research had advantages and had a great academic impact. The Department of Biology was established in 1938, when a number of elites in the domestic biological sector gathered at YNU and achieved important results in various fields such as biological resource surveys, plant and animal taxonomy and systematic studies, plant community taxonomy and distribution and biodiversity. The development of ecology flourished in the 1950s, when the department became an important place cultivating professionals in the ecology sector. In 1997, the School of Life Science and Chemistry was established by combining the departments of biology and chemistry. In April 2002, the Department of Biology was reorganized into the School of Life Science. In 2014, the School of Life Science restructured the teaching staff engaged in ecology and environmental research and established the School of Ecology and Environmental Science. Following more than 70 years of development, ecology has achieved an important academic impact at home and abroad. In the 1990s in particular, ecology developed into the only national key discipline in Southwest China. The biology discipline was also listed as a national first-level discipline in 2011, responding to and supporting the national ecological civilization development strategy. The school currently has about 140 faculty members, including professors and doctoral supervisors and master supervisors. More than 90 percent of teachers have a doctorate, host national research projects and have overseas study experience. The school maintains good cooperation and exchanges with many well-known universities and international organizations, including in the United States, Canada, Germany, Belgium and Japan. It also boasts two national key laboratory training bases and several provincial key research platforms, such as the Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plateau Mountain Ecology and Degraded Environment Restoration, the Yunnan Ecological Civilization Construction Think Tank, the Yunnan Provincial Ecological Construction and Sustainable Development Research Base and the Yunnan University Plateau Mountain Ecology and Resource Environment Key Laboratory.

About Yunnan University

Yunnan University, or YNU, located in Southwest China's border region, has made important contributions to the economic and social development of Yunnan and China over the past 100 years. In 2017, YNU was included among the first "first-class universities and disciplines" projects – major strategic decisions made by the State Council – in China, and fully completed the first round construction tasks. In February 2022, the university began the second stage of the project, and construction entered a new stage of progress. The university leads research on minorities, has kept ecology and political science at the forefront of the country, and has achieved impressive results in the construction of three world-class science centers for life science, paleontology research, and astronomy, respectively. YNU has added 10 doctoral and six master's degree authorization points and has 22 and 42 first-level doctoral and master's degree authorization points, respectively, meaning it has one of the most comprehensive degree authorization systems in western China. The university has built a relatively complete regional country research system covering South Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia, Africa, and other regions along the Belt and Road. Eight countries and regional research centers have been registered by the Ministry of Education. In addition, YNU initiated the establishment of the South & Southeast Asian University Network, in which more than 120 universities from 16 countries have participated. The university also held two South and Southeast Asian university chiefs' forums. More information about YNU, please see: http://english.ynu.edu.cn/index.html

We look forward to receiving your application!