
SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET · Uppsala
Postdoctoral position in Plant Evolutionary Genomics and Pangenomics Department of Plant Biology About the position A postdoctoral position in plant evolutionar...
Postdoctoral position in Plant Evolutionary Genomics and Pangenomics
Department of Plant Biology
About the position
A postdoctoral position in plant evolutionary genomics is available in the Yant Lab at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala, Sweden. The Yant Lab develops computational and genomic approaches to understand evolution, adaptation, genome dynamics, and whole-genome duplication across diverse plant systems (see https://www.yantlab.net/).
The project is funded through a Formas grant aimed at restoring European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) populations threatened by ash dieback. The successful candidate will contribute to developing the first Swedish-focused European ash pangenome, integrating long-read genome assemblies with population-scale sequencing to understand disease resistance and local adaptation across Europe.
The project combines large-scale population genomics, graph-based pangenomics, structural variant discovery, genome-wide association studies, and evolutionary genomics using state-of-the-art long-read sequencing and computational genomic approaches. The successful candidate will work closely with collaborators at other SLU campuses, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and other European partners, contributing to both methodological developments and biological discovery.
The project offers an opportunity to work at the forefront of plant evolutionary genomics while contributing directly to forest restoration and conservation.
Your profile
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a PhD in botany, evolutionary biology, genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, plant biology, or a related subject deemed equivalent by the employer. The applicant should have a strong publication record relative to career stage and demonstrated ability to conduct independent research. The ideal candidate will have experience in all of the following areas:
Experience with long-read sequencing, structural variant analysis, graph-based genome analysis, and plant genomics is considered an advantage but is not required.
The successful candidate is expected to be a collaborative team member who will drive the project with creativity, independence, and scientific curiosity. Excellent written and spoken English is required.
Since postdoctoral appointments are career-development positions, priority will be given to candidates who received their doctoral degree within the past three years.
About us
The Department of Plant Biology (www.slu.se/en/vbsg) offers a creative and stimulating international environment and is one of several departments that make up the ‘Uppsala BioCenter’. The department undertakes fundamental research on model organisms, agricultural crops, forest trees and bioenergy crops. Our main areas of research comprise the interaction of plants with microorganisms and other environmental stresses, plant growth and development, biotechnology and metabolic engineering, regulation of gene expression, population genetics, genome analysis, and the development of breeding systems. Species in use are model organisms such as the entire Arabidopsis genus, Physcomitrella, Cochlearia, crops such as rapeseed, basket willow (Salix), potato, and cereals, and pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi/oomycetes. The department is responsible for basic and advanced courses in general and molecular genetics, cell biology, gene technology, plant physiology, plant breeding, plant biochemistry and biotechnology, and molecular interactions between plants and pathogens. In addition, the department contributes to various courses together with other departments. Uppsala, Sweden ́s fourth-biggest city, has two universities and with more than 50 000 students a vibrant student atmosphere. It is located in the Greater Stockholm area and has an excellent connection to the Stockholm-Arlanda international airport.
For more information about the department visit: https://www.slu.se/en/departments/plant-biology-forest-genetics/
Read more about our benefits and working at SLU by visiting: https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/
Location: Uppsala.
Form of employment: Temporary employment 24 months, with the possibility of extension.
Scope: 100%.
Start date: 1 November 2026.
Application: Please submit your application before deadline 31 August 2026. You can submit your application by clicking the button below.
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 4,000 employees, 6,000 students and doctoral students and a turnover of over SEK 4,5 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.
Levi Yant
Professor
levi.yant@slu.se
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.
Department of Ecology The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is one of Northern Europe largest academic hubs for ecological research and offers a dynamic and excellent research environment with modern infrastructure. The Department of Ecology has about 150 employees, of whom around 40 work at the Grimsö Research Station in Bergslagen. Together, the SLU Ecology Centre and Grimsö Research Station conduct research on sustainable agriculture and forestry, plant protection, nature conservation, and wildlife management, and provide scientific knowledge to inform Sweden and Europe’s environmental policies. About the position Project Can we foresee the outcomes of public policies, political choices and other decisions? We are finding out by developing serious games and running them using AI. We are building large-scale simulations of societal processes (environmental negotiations, nature conservation policies, and hybrid-threat scenarios) in which every actor is an autonomous AI agent powered by Large Language Models (LLMs). These agents simulate real-world stakeholders, from government ministers to interest groups, and interact through natural language in complex strategic settings. We then run thousands of iterations to map the distribution of outcomes. This effort is part of a new research program Articulating Complexity ( https://www.slu.se/articulating-complexity/). We are looking for an ambitious post-doc to join this effort. Tasks and duties You are the person who makes the simulations meaningful. The technical infrastructure produces outputs in the form of thousands of LLM-generated texts from prompts. Your job is to ensure that these outputs are grounded in real human behavior, real political dynamics, and real institutional logic. Concretely this means: Scenario architecture. Each simulation is defined by a scenario with an initial world state, a cast of agents, communication channels, institutional constraints, document corpora. You will design scenarios focusing on negotiations of nature conservation policies and socio-ecological hybrid warfare. Agent persona construction. For each agent you will define the identity prompt, ideology vector, personality traits, decision mode weights, and the affect parameters that govern when agents escalate beyond their default moderation. This means extracting positions, rhetorical styles, strategic preferences, and psychological profiles from real-world sources. Analysis and validation of simulation outputs. After Monte Carlo runs, you will analyze the distribution of outcomes (e.g. which policies emerge) and will also design behavioural signature validation (e.g. verifying that simulated agents exhibit the expected action distributions when compared against empirical baselines). Publication and dissemination. You will co-author scientific publications from the project. The research will produce papers at the intersection of computational social science, ecology, security studies, and AI, a space with very few competitors and high visibility. You will work closely with the PI (Guillaume Chapron https://www.slu.se/en/profilepages/c/guillaume-chapron/%20) and a research engineer in AI (recruited concurrently). The three of you will form the core team. Your profile Required A PhD in computational social science (or political science, psychology, behavioural economics, evolutionary anthropology or a related field) with strong quantitative skills. The PhD must be completed by the start date. Ability to reflect about strategic behaviour, political dynamics, or social processes in a structured, analytical way, whether through formal models, experiments or quantitative analysis. Willingness to work with AI and LLMs. You should be comfortable working critically with AI-generated outputs, interpreting how LLMs respond to instructions, and contributing to the design, testing, and refinement of prompts. Strong writing skills: clarity, precision, and the ability to communicate across disciplinary boundaries. Desirable Experience with agent-based modelling, game theory, simulation, or experimental methods in the social sciences. Experience with LLMs and their capabilities for simulating human behaviour such as the emerging literature on "silicon samples" and next-generation social simulations. Understanding of institutional design, legislative procedures, or multi-level governance. The simulation enforces procedural constraints, and designing these correctly requires knowing how real institutions actually work. Reading proficiency in Swedish, not required but an advantage. Assessment criteria Applications will be assessed on the following: Intellectual depth and originality. We are looking for someone who has demonstrated the ability to produce genuinely novel ideas, not incremental extensions of existing work. Your PhD thesis, publications, or research statement should show that you think independently and are drawn to hard, underexplored scientific problems. Interdisciplinary range. The ideal candidate is not easily captured by a single disciplinary label. If your work connects political behaviour, psychology, strategic interaction, and computational methods, even in an unconventional way, you are more interesting to us than a narrow specialist with a longer publication list. Fit with the project’s ambition. This is a project that aims to pioneer a new field and we want someone who finds that proposition thrilling rather than risky. Your application should make clear why this project, not just why a postdoc. Because the research area is new, you also need to be able to work in relative isolation. Cross-discipline disposition. You will work daily with questions from very different disciplines: computer science, AI, ecology, political science, geopolitics. The ability to communicate across disciplinary silos is essential. Interpersonal skills will form an important part of the assessment. Location: The position is based either at Grimsö or at Uppsala, with a possibility to be partly based at another Swedish academic institution with a core expertise in computational social science. Form of employment: Fixed-term employment 24 months, with possibility of extension. Scope: 100%. Start date: As agreed, as soon as possible after recruitment. Application: Please submit your application before deadline 14 July 2026. You can submit your application by clicking the button below. Application requirements are available on the SLU website.
Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua) Climate change is impacting aquatic ecosystems worldwide, creating an urgent need for management strategies that strengthen ecological resilience and support sustainable use of aquatic resources. In this two-year postdoctoral project, you will use quantitative evidence-based syntheses to identify how aquatic management can enhance ecosystem resilience to the impacts of climate change. This position offers opportunities for career development at the interface between ecological research and practical management through scientific publishing, conference participation, and stakeholder engagement. About the position We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher with a strong interest in evidence-based conservation and restoration ecology. The project combines fundamental ecological and evolutionary research with applied management science to address: Which management interventions most effectively increase resilience to climate change in aquatic ecosystems? How do dispersal, ecological interactions and evolutionary adaptation influence the success of climate adaptation measures? How can evidence synthesis be translated into practical decision support for environmental managers? You will apply systematic reviews, meta-analyses and other evidence synthesis methods to answer these questions. The work includes close collaboration with practitioners to ensure scientifically robust and practically relevant guidance for climate adaptation. The project is expected to result in scientific publications while directly informing evidence-based environmental policy and management. We offer a collaborative research environment with strong links between fundamental ecological research and environmental management. The successful candidate will have opportunities to publish in leading international journals, present their work at international conferences, collaborate with practitioners and policy makers to develop an independent research profile. Your profile You must hold a PhD in Biology (ecology/evolution), Environmental science or similar discipline. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses or other relevant evidence-synthesising methods should have formed a central part of your thesis or academic career. Experience of research relevant for environmental management, decision support or governance of aquatic resources, and collaborating with practitioners, especially in coastal and marine areas, is an advantage. Applicants with experience in one or more of the following areas are encouraged to apply: systematic reviews/meta-analysis or other evidence synthesis conservation planning/restoration ecology climate change research and climate adaptation aquatic ecology We are looking for a candidate with excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, who can work both independently and collaboratively and has a demonstrated ability to publish scientific research. Good written and oral communication skills in English are a requirement. We will also place particular emphasis on personal qualities relevant to the position. The position is intended for an early-career researcher. Candidates should have obtained their PhD no more than three years ago from the starting date. Under some circumstances, the degree may have been obtained earlier, which includes leave of absence due to illness, parental leave, positions of trust within unions, service in the armed forces, or other similar circumstances. About us The successful candidate will work closely with a group of ecologists- and evolutionary biologists from SLU and the Swedish Natural History Museum. All researchers in the team work in close collaboration with authorities and managers. The Department of Aquatic Resources (SLU Aqua), hosting the postdoc is an inspiring environment where you can contribute to knowledge for the sustainable use of seas, lakes and watercourses. We combine ecological, biodiversity, and fisheries research with environmental monitoring and assessment, and advice for national and international management. With over 200 employees, we are the largest knowledge hub on aquatic ecosystems and fisheries in Sweden, providing access to associated research infrastructure and research opportunities of high societal relevance. Our head office is in Uppsala (Ultuna), and our three other main locations are Lysekil, Öregrund and Stockholm (Drottningholm)., Read more about SLU Aqua: https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/organisation/departments/aquatic-resources/ Read more about our benefits and working at SLU by visiting: https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/ Location: Uppsala Form of employment: Temporary employment 24 months. Scope: 100% Start date: Upon agreement but no later than 1 January 2027. Application: Applicants are welcome to submit their application using the button below, at the latest by the 17th of August 2026. The application should be written in English and contain 1) a cover letter describing your motivation for the position, your skills and qualifications in relation to the advertised profile, and contact details for two reference persons, 2) a CV documenting your academic career and education with a publication list (including submitted manuscripts), and 3) a PhD degree diploma and transcripts of academic records. 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 4,000 employees, 6,000 students and doctoral students and a turnover of over SEK 4,5 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.
Department of Soil and Environment A 2-years postdoc position is available in the Soil and Environmental Physics group at the Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), in Uppsala. We are looking for a researcher fascinated by the interactions of ecological, biogeochemical, and physical processes that shape the responses of the carbon cycle to global change and the implementation of these interactions into soil and ecosystem models. Depending on the selected candidate, the research project can focus on statistical analysis of literature data, process-based modelling, or a combination of the two. We offer a stimulating research environment with opportunities to collaborate with soil scientists and ecologists, within SLU, in Sweden and internationally. About the position As a post-doc in the project, you will be expected to perform independent research, including data collection from literature sources and online databases, statistical data analyses, development and use of process-based mathematical models, writing scientific papers in collaboration with the project group and external collaborators, and presenting research result at seminars and conferences. Your profile In order to qualify for a Postdoctoral position, applicants are required to hold a doctoral degree. We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher with excellent skills and experience in: Formulating novel research questions and hypotheses on processes controlling carbon fluxes and storages in soils, vegetation, and ecosystems Collection, harmonization, and statistical analysis of data on soil, vegetation or ecosystem carbon fluxes and storages from literature sources and databases Development and use of process-based mathematical models of carbon cycle in soils and ecosystems We are particularly interested in candidates able to conceptualize and statistically or mathematically link processes occurring at different spatial or temporal scales, or across levels of ecological organization (e.g., upscaling of microbial processes to ecosystem level; use of plant traits to understand ecosystem carbon budgets). Given the nature of the research project, we expect the selected candidate to be able to interact with soil scientists, ecologists, and biogeochemists. Experience in publishing in highly ranked scientific journals in English is also important. The position is intended for a junior researcher and we are primarily looking for people who completed their doctoral degree no more than three years ago. About us The Department of Soil and Environment is a leading soil research institution, both nationally and internationally. Our research focuses on fundamental soil properties and processes, as well as how soil functions are affected by changes in environmental conditions, including climate change. Through research, environmental analysis and education, we contribute knowledge about future sustainable land use and develop new solutions as a basis for decision-making in agriculture, forestry and the urban environment. The working environment at the department is international and we have around 100 employees. Our research is carried out in seven subject groups with a focus on Soil Biology, Soil Nutrient Cycling, Soil Chemistry, Agricultural Water Management, Soil and Environmental Physics, Soil Mechanics and Soil Management, and the Biogeochemistry of Forest Soils. We are responsible for important research infrastructure in the form of soil chemistry and soil physics laboratories, an X-ray scanner, long-term field experiments, a lysimeter facility, and the field research stations at Lanna and Lövsta. The Department participates in approximately 30 courses at undergraduate and advanced level. We are a part of the Soil, Water and Environment Center at SLU (MVM-center), which provides links to research on water systems, recycling and bioenergy. Our work is aligned to national environmental and climate goals as well as to the Sustainable Development Goals. We are situated at Campus Ultuna in Uppsala and in Skara. Read more about the department here (https://www.slu.se/en/departments/soil-environment/). Read more about our benefits and working at SLU by visiting: https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/ Location: Uppsala Form of employment: Temporary employment 24 months, with the possibility of extension. Scope: 100% Start date: As agreed. Application: Please include the following documents: Cover letter (max 1 page) CV – degrees and other completed courses, work experience and a list of publications Contact information for 2-3 references Research proposal describing: state of the art on the project topic described in the advertisement (max half page) knowledge gaps that need to be addressed (max half page) proposed approach to fill the identified gaps and how it is related to the applicant’s knowledge/expertise and previous experiences (max one page) Please submit your application before deadline 10 September 2026. You can submit your application by clicking the button below. 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 4,000 employees, 6,000 students and doctoral students and a turnover of over SEK 4,5 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.