From Leopoldo.Sanchez from orleans.inra.fr Wed Sep 10 06:43:23 2008 From: Leopoldo.Sanchez from orleans.inra.fr (=?windows-1252?Q?L=E9opoldo_Sanchez?=) Date: Wed Sep 10 08:39:09 2008 Subject: [Agroforestry] Announcement postdoctoral position on modelling phenotypic plasticity Message-ID: <48C7B2DB.4020900@orleans.inra.fr> A 24 months post-doctoral position is available starting end of 2008 at the Research Unit on Improvement, Genetics and Physiology of Forest Trees (http://www.orleans.inra.fr/les_unites/ur_agpf) at INRA Orleans (France). This project is to gain insight through mathematical simulation on how phenotypic plasticity responds to different causal genetic mechanisms subjected to environmental shifts and evolutionary forces. This will involve several successive objectives: a) to explore theoretically the underlying mechanisms responsible of the expression of given levels of phenotypic plasticity, b) to compare the constraints to the evolutionary progress that are implicit to each of these identified mechanisms, c) to evaluate the adequacy of population based response curves as measures of individual plasticity under the different mechanisms. These mechanisms will be studied by means of allelic models structured into gene networks. Two complementary modelling approaches will be used, a “model-to-result” approach and an “expectation-to-model” approach. The fulfilment of objective (c) will allow a first validation over results from dendrochronological records, where families and individuals were simultaneously evaluated for temporal and spatial phenotypic plasticities. The position is funded by a grant from the French Ministry of Research. More details about the announcement are given at INRA’s institutional website (http://www.international.inra.fr/join_us/positions/postdoctoral_positions/annual_campaign_for_postdocs/research_projects_2008) QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants MUST have a Ph.D. degree by the time of appointment, along with experience in quantitative and population genetics and development of mathematical models, and training and/or experience in one programming language (FORTRAN, C++, etc). An interest in plant and/or forest tree improvement is also highly desirable. APPLICATION: Application forms will be provided upon request at one of the addresses below (or downloaded from previous INRA’s website). Send fulfilled forms as soon as possible to leopoldo.sanchez@orleans.inra.fr, or jean-charles.bastien@orleans.inra.fr, catherine.bastien@orleans.inra.fr -- ATTENTION NOUVELLE ADRESSE! ____________________________________________________________ Leopoldo Sanchez Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) - Centre d'Orléans Unité Amélioration, Génétique et Physiologie Forestières 2163 Avenue de la Pomme de Pin CS 40001 ARDON, 45075 ORLEANS Cedex 2, France Tél: +33 (0) 2 38 41 78 14 Fax: +33 (0) 2 38 41 78 79 e-mail: sanchez@orleans.inra.fr http://www.orleans.inra.fr/AGPF ____________________________________________________________