We are looking for highly motivated young PhD candidates to join the international research collaborative program between CBGP, Spain and CEPLAS, Germany and to develop research projects within the area of plant biology.
We are offering 6 PhD full time position with the 4 years contract duration. 4 positions associated to the Spanish Research Agency FPI grant and 2 positions are financially supported by CEPLAS, Germany.
CBGP and CEPLAS offers modern and fully equipped facilities to carry out state of the art research in plant/crop adaptation to environmental changes and plant nutrition and growth and a unique, stimulating work environment. The position requires travel between Spain and Germany to develop different parts of the projects.
The available join projects:
DECAPH: Deciphering autophagy in the barley grain by genome editing tools PI´s CBGP: Raquel Iglesias Fernández & Jesús Vicente Carbajosa PI CEPLAS: Goetz Hensel
TOMATIME: Domestication of the circadian clock in tomato and its effect in light and temperature stress responses PI´s CBGP: José M Jiménez-Gómez & Krzysztof Wabnik PI´s CEPLAS: Björn Usadel &Shizue Matsubara
FlucTeChrom: Effect of fluctuating temperatures on chromatin silencing and its impact on growth in Brassica crops PI CBGP: Pedro Crevillén PI CEPLAS: Franziska Turck
MLG-BIOPROTECT: Deciphering Mixed-Linked Glucans (MLG) biosynthesis and the perception of MLG-derived oligosaccharides by the plant immune system to develop sustainable crop protection solutions PI´s CBGP: Antonio Molina & Lucia Jordá PI´s CEPLAS: Markus Pauly & Vicente Ramírez
MOLEX-BPI: Edaphic and genetic effects on molecular exchange and feedback mechanisms underlying beneficial plant-fungal endophyte interactions PI CBGP: María Soledad Sacristán Benayas PI CEPLAS: Marcel Bucher
SynComSymbio: Interaction of a commensal microbiota with a Rhizobium-legume symbiosis PI´s CBGP: Luis Rey /José M Palacios PI´s CEPLAS: Ruben Garrido-Oter & Kathrin Wippel
Please send your CV and a motivation letter with an indication of the chosen research project and in the title of the email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Annual Joint Progress Meeting of the international initiative CBGP-CEPLAS
Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP) and Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) celebrated on October 29th 2025 their annual joint meeting, in the context of the International Collaborative Scientific Program CBGP-CEPLAS (CSPint CBGP-CEPLAS). This bilateral research program between both institutions with national excellence seals is focusing on “Improving edaphic adaptation, disease resistance and growth of plants to respond to environmental challenges”, and is allowing since 2023 the mutual exchange and co-direction of PhD students. Five research projects have been granted with five PhD students, which are financially supported by Severo Ochoa excellent grant of CBGP (CEX2020-000999-S) and by CEPLAS Excellence grant funds. Scientific progress of the five projects was presented by involved PhD students, giving updates of their current and future research activities. Notably, four of the five PhD students of the CSPint CBGP-CEPLAS are currently performing research stages in CEPLAS labs (3) and in CBGP labs (1). Given the success of the current first edition, both institutions are anticipating a new edition of this bilateral exchange program for 2026/2027.
CBGP-CEPLAS Collaborative Scientific Program will support the formation of six PhD students.
The Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP, UPM-INIA) of Spain, Centre of Excellence Severo Ochoa (SO), and the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) of Germany have announced an agreement to collaborate in different research and innovation areas (RIAs) related with plant/crop adaptation to environmental changes and plant nutrition and growth. This collaboration implies the initiation of six joint projects involving six PhD students that will be financially supported by CBGP and CEPLAS. CBGP-CEPLAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (Mou) that establishes the basis for the promotion of their cooperation in science and technology and education. The MoU was signed by CBGP stakeholders institutions (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)), and CEPLAS research centers and universities (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, University of Cologne, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research and Forschungszentrum Jülich). The MoU aims to reinforces the international cooperation position of CEPLAS and CBGP.
Upon MoU agreement the first joint International Collaborative Scientific Projects call (CBGP-CEPLAS CSPint) was launched on “Improving edaphic adaptation, disease resistance and growth of plants to respond to environmental challenges”. Six projects with the joint participation of CBGP/CEPLAS researchers were selected for financial support. These six projects have been granted with six PhD students that will perform their experimental research and Theses objectives at CBGP facilities and CEPLAS research centers and universities. PhD students associated to the program will have a specific formation plan with annual secondments and stages (3 to 6 months) at CBGP (Spain) and research centers of CEPLAS (Germany).
Antonio Molina, CBGP Director and Scientific Director of Severo Ochoa Excellence program said that “this collaboration is a unique opportunity to develop ambitious scientific and technological programs by bringing together excellent researchers from CBGP and CEPLAS with complementary expertise”. He also remarks that “this initiative is a great opportunity for our researchers, but mainly for PhD students that will have the opportunity to develop the initial steps of their research careers in international environments and groups of excellence, and will benefit from specific secondments and formation programs provided by CBGP and CEPLAS”.
Maria von Korff Schmising, the CEPLAS speaker, indicated that “this new cooperation between the Center for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP) and the Cluster of Excellence in Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) will be a great opportunity to collaborate and join forces in the fields of plant science, technology and education. The joint dedicated PhD program offers our students the chance to learn, develop and network in an international research environment. I believe that this collaboration will contribute to improving the impact and visibility of plant science in Europe.
About CBGP
The CBGP (UPM, INIA/CSIC) is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence that belongs to the network of Severo Ochoa Centers and María de Maeztu Units of Excellence Alliance (SOMMa). The CBGP is internationally positioned as one of the most advanced reference centers in the area of agriculture and plant biotechnology. The mission of the CBGP (UPM-INIA/CSIC) is to carry out fundamental and strategic research within the field of plant biology and microorganisms that interact with plants. The research carried out by the different groups of the Centre is aimed at understanding, from a multidisciplinary point of view, essential processes such as the development of plants, their interaction with the environment, and the molecular mechanisms that regulate plant nutrition. Likewise, the CBGP (UPM-INIA/CSIC) develops new tools for computational biology and genomics to achieve these objectives. The acquisition of basic biological knowledge is essential to combat the challenges facing agricultural and forestry production and should contribute to the development of new biotechnological solutions. The CBGP (UPM-INIA/CSIC) also plays a relevant role as an educational institution, being a reference centre for the training of young scientists and Masters and Degree students in the areas of Plant Biotechnology and Genomics.
About CEPLAS
The Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) is a joint initiative of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU), University of Cologne (UoC), Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research Cologne (MPIPZ) and Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ). The mission of CEPLAS is to conduct fundamental research in plant biology as a basis for developing innovative strategies for sustainable plant production. CEPLAS focuses on establishing a mechanistic understanding of the complex interplay between plant development, growth and metabolism that controls life cycle transitions and environmental adaptation. Further, CEPLAS elucidates mechanisms underlying plant-microbe interactions to optimize edaphic adaptation and plant performance in varying environments. To achieve these goals CEPLAS develops advanced tools and methods in synthetic biology, genomics and data science. Furthermore, CEPLAS has established outstanding training programs on all career levels for the next generation of plant scientists, which strongly benefit from the interdisciplinary and complementary expertise within the cluster and strong links to industry.
CSPint CBGP-CEPLAS is an international collaborative scientific program between the Center for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP) of Spain and the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS) of Germany. The initiative supports collaborations in different research and innovation areas (RIAs) related with "Improving edaphic adaptation, disease resistance and growth of plants to respond to environmental challenges". The goal of CSPint CBGP-CEPLAS initiative is to strengthen the development, impact and visibility of plant science in Europe with joint collaborative research programs involving researchers from CBGP and CEPLAS institutions.
Legumes interact symbiotically with nitrogen-fixing bacteria through a complex mechanism that has attracted much research. It has mostly focused on binary host-symbiont interactions and largely ignored the role that other surrounding microbes play in this process. Recently, using host symbiosis mutants, we showed an impact on the assembly of microbial communities in the root or rhizosphere, suggesting an interaction between commensal microbiota members and host-symbiont associations. However, the directionality, causality and mechanisms by which commensal bacteria interact with the symbiotic process is not yet understood. The bacterial type VI secretion system (T6SS) proved to be important for plant protection against pathogens and establishment of nitrogen fixing symbiosis. Analyzing genomes from the Arabidopsis thaliana and Lotus japonicus culture collections, we found T6SS genes present in rhizobial symbionts and other members of the commensal root and rhizosphere microbiota. Gnotobiotic experiments with L. japonicus and T6SS Mesorhizobium mutants showed a complete loss of nodulation in binary associations, which was partially restored by co-inoculation of a commensal SynCom, suggesting that members of the plant microbiota complement the mechanisms required to drive these associations. The aim of this proposal is to explore these mechanisms.
The plant immune system perceives diverse carbohydrate ligands from plant and microbial cell walls through extracellular ectodomains (ECDs) of Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs), which activate Pattern-Triggered Immunity (PTI) and disease resistance. Among these ligands are oligosaccharides derived from mixed-linked β-1,3/β-1,4-glucans (MLGs) which are main components of plant (cereals) walls and microbial extracellular layers. The mechanisms of MLGs perception by PRRs are poorly characterized, though several Arabidopsis receptor kinases (RKs) with Leucine-Rich-Repeat (LRR) and Malectin (MAL) domains in their ECDs have been described to be required for MLGs perception, but their functions in crops PTI have not been characterized. Moreover, the mechanisms of MLGs biosynthesis in plants and microbes are not well determined. The MLG-BIOPROTECT proposal uses synthetic biology approaches in heterologous system (yeast) to produce active MLGs and structurally related glycans that would be perceived by the plant immune system. Also, we will use genetic, genomic and heterologous expression approaches to identify crop RKs required for MLG perception and disease resistance activation. Knowledge acquired in MLG-BIOPROTECT will allow the development of sustainable crop protection solutions by using the MLGs identified as biostimulants triggering crops PTI.
