PhD: How taste is encoded in the brain of caterpillars & butterflies

Job description

Are you a highly motivated and curious PhD candidate, willing to bridge across the fields of neuroscience, ecology and evolutionary biology? Do you want to explore how butterflies and caterpillars use their taste system to recognize the plants they coevolved with? And have you ever wondered if a plant tastes the same to a caterpillar as it does to a butterfly? Then we, at Wageningen University & Research, have an exciting opportunity for you.
You would be leading a PhD study with the aim to decipher the neuronal code used by the taste system of specialist caterpillars and butterflies to recognize their host plant. Insect herbivores and plants are intertwined in an intimate coevolutionary arms race in which plants produce toxic defence compounds and insects in turn evolved detoxification mechanisms allowing them to feed on specific plants. In parallel to these feeding adaptations, insects also evolved specific detection mechanisms for those plants to which they have become adapted.
These detection mechanisms rely on the recognition of certain plant chemicals as sign stimuli and others as deterrent signals. However, how the brain integrates these positive and negative signals is not yet known. Moreover, butterflies and caterpillars of the same species do not always use the same chemical cues, leading to different preferences in the two life stages.
You will use the model system of the cabbage white butterflies,
Pieris
spp
.
. These insects lay their eggs almost exclusively on plants containing glucosinolates, toxic compounds to which these insects have specifically adapted. At the same time, most
Pieris
species avoid cardenolides, a distinct group of defensive chemicals in some
Brassica
plants. The exception to this rule are
Pieris napi
butterflies which readily oviposit on cardenolide containing plants, giving us the opportunity to compare the gustatory code both between closely related species and between life stages.
To unravel these different coding mechanisms we will use both intra- and extracellular electrophysiological recordings to measure responses to the different chemical and their combination in the butterfly and caterpillar brain. In addition, we will create mutant butterflies lacking the most relevant receptor genes using Crispr/Cas9 to investigate how the silencing of specific neuronal channels changes the encoding of the host plant in the brain. Combined, these results will provide a unique insight into the neuronal mechanisms underlying the coevolution of insect and plants, which is a major driving factor of biodiversity and has shaped many of today’s terrestrial (agro-) ecosystems.
As a PhD candidate, you will contribute to fundamental research in the context of insect-plant coevolution and sensory ecology. You will be embedded in a diverse group of international scientists and collaborate with colleagues from both in- and outside Wageningen University & Research.
Your duties and responsibilities include:
Establishing intra- and extracellular electrophysiological recordings from the insect suboesophageal ganglion;
Visualize neuronal networks in the insect brain, using confocal microscopy and computer reconstructions;
Generate and maintain transgenic insect lines;
Supervise MSc and BSc students and assist in lab practicals.
You will work here
The research is embedded within the Laboratory of Entomology
Lab of Entomology - WUR
, which is led by Prof. Bregje Wertheim (
Bregje Wertheim - Wageningen University & Research
). You will be co-supervised by Dr. Alexander Haverkamp (
Alexander Haverkamp - Wageningen University & Research
). In addition, you will also be embedded in the PE&RC graduate school (
Home | PE&RC
), which will allow you to follow a wide variety of training courses and provide support during your academic journey.

Requirements

For this project we are looking for an enthusiastic and skilled PhD candidate with a strong interest in insect sensory ecology and the coevolution of insects and plants, who is happy to work at the intersection of neurobiology, molecular biology and chemical ecology.
You also possess:
A creative and proactive team player that would like to work in a multidisciplinary environment;
A completed MSc degree or equivalent in Biology, Neurobiology or a related field;
An affinity for working with butterflies and caterpillars, ideally with a background in plant-insect interactions;
Experience with electrophysiology, especially in the insect brain is desirable;
Knowledge of molecular techniques and analytic chemistry is an advantage;
Excellent communication skills in English and experience with scientific writing.
For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1
level
. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found
here
.

Conditions of employment

Fixed-term
contract
: 18 months.
Wageningen University & Research offers excellent

terms of employment

. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:
Partially paid parental leave;
working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;
excellent pension scheme.
In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 3.204,- per month rising to € 4.051,- in the fourth year in according to the
Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU)
(scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.
We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.
You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment.

Employer
Wageningen University & Research
The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.
Read the
5 reasons
why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!
We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

Additional information

Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.
Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.
Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's
International Community
page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our
Welcome Center
can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account, dual career programs or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.
Join us and come work at WUR
At Wageningen University & Research, you work at improving the quality of life. Together with your colleagues, you seek to answer the challenges within our domain 'healthy food and living environment.'
Read more