About IRHS Laboratory – EcoFun lab

The Research Institute of Horticulture and Seeds (IRHS) is a leading research laboratory with 250 staff members dedicated to advancing knowledge on the quality and health of horticultural crops and seeds. Operating under the auspices of INRAE, Institut Agro, and the University of Angers, the IRHS develops projects spanning a wide range of topics, including ornamental and fruit quality, genetic diversity, epigenetics, sustainable resistance to pathogens, disease emergence and microbial communities, evolutionary ecology of pathogens, seed quality, bioinformatics, and plant phenotyping. The institute focuses on key plant models such as roses, pome fruits, vegetables, seeds, and pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

Within the IRHS, the EcoFun lab consists of six permanent researchers dedicated to studying the biology of Venturia inaequalis, the fungal pathogen responsible for apple scab. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we aim to unravel the molecular and evolutionary mechanisms underlying host adaptation in V. inaequalis.

Presentation of the project

Apple scab is the most significant disease affecting apple orchards, requiring an average of 25 fungicide treatments per year, leading to substantial economic and ecological impacts. Understanding the host specificity of Venturia inaequalis is crucial for improving disease management by developing epidemiological surveillance tools and identifying new resistance genes for breeding programs.

Our research focuses on the host specialization of V. inaequalis populations infecting domestic apple, wild apple, and Pyracantha. By leveraging population crosses and comparative genomics, we have identified several fungal candidate genes involved in host specificity. We identified fungal effectors which triggers immunity in resistant apple cultivars. 

Within this framework we can elaborate several research projects that will be constructed in collaboration with the candidate. Here are a few project ideas:

• Functional validation of the genetic determinants involved in the host specificity of Venturia inaequalis hybrids.
• Cytological analysis of the subcuticular colonization and effector secretion of the fungal pathogen Venturia inaequalis.
• Antimicrobial and virulence activities of MAX effectors in Venturia inaequalis.

To carried out the research project, we have access to world leading facilities and cutting-edge methods are available on our pathosystem:

• A worldwide collection of ~2,500 Venturia strains from diverse populations.
• An optimized genetic transformation system for V. inaequalis using Golden Gate-compatible vectors.
• Routine use of heterologous expression systems, such as yeast and Nicotiana benthamiana.

Keywords: Plant-microbe interaction – Apple scab – Fungal effector – Plant immunity – Molecular biology – Proteomic – Cellular biology 

Eligibility

Applicants must comply with the mobility rule: having stay in France less than 12 months in the past 3 years before the 10th of September 2025. 

Applicants also must have maximum 8 years of research experience after graduating their (first) PhD.

If you are interested in this offer and have the required background, please download and fill the application form available at https://www.univ-angers.fr/en/research/funding-and-projects/cap-europe/msca-postdoctoral-fellowship.html

and send it with your CV to mael.baudin@univ-angers.fr and cap-europe@univ-angers.fr

We encourage you to apply ASAP, if we receive applications that has an fitting profile, we will close the offer in Euraxess.