PhD in Life Sciences

Laboratory for Plant Genetics and Crop Improvement (PGCI) at the Department of Biosystems at KU Leuven studies the genetic and molecular regulation of key reproductive processes in plants (flowering, meiosis, fertilization, etc.) with a particular focus on genome stability, karyotype change, and polyploidy./nProject focuses on developing practical methods to induce diploid (2n) pollen grains in local Musa breeding materials, including extensive screening of chemicals and other external factors, in-depth characterization of underlying mechanism(s) and genotypic configuration of resulting 2n pollen, identification of key genetic regulators of the meiotic reductional division in banana, and practical implementation and upscaling at local breeding programs in Tanzania (IITA) and Indonesia (BRIN)./nProject supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation./nPosition based in Leuven, Belgium.