PhD position in modeling the mechanical regulation of plant development and regeneration
Leiden University is offering a PhD position in modeling the mechanical regulation of plant development and regeneration. The project sits at the intersection of mathematical biology, computational science, applied mathematics, theoretical biology, and plant mechanobiology, and is embedded in the interdisciplinary Multiscale Mathematical Biology team at the Faculty of Science.
The PhD project is part of the GreenTE (Green Tissue Engineering) Gravitation programme, a multidisciplinary consortium of seven Dutch universities focused on understanding how plants sense and respond to mechanical stimuli. The scientific aim is to develop and refine two-dimensional and, later, three-dimensional models of plant development that incorporate mechanical feedback loops controlling cellular decision making and polarization. The models will help explain how plant shape and size arise from interactions between tissue-level and organ-level mechanics and cellular and molecular regulation.
A major component of the work is further development of VirtualLeaf, an open-source modeling package for plant tissues. The project combines Hamiltonian descriptions of cell wall strains, stresses, and turgor pressures with ordinary differential equations for biochemical networks. The successful candidate will work with simulated data and 2D/3D imaging data from plant tissues, including Arabidopsis thaliana and Ceratopteris, and may later extend the work to 3D using VirtualLeaf3D under development in the team.
The student will collaborate closely with experimental partners across GreenTE, especially the group of experimental plant biologist Prof.dr. Dolf Weijers at Wageningen University, and with PhD students performing mechanical interventions such as stretching, squeezing, and poking of embryos and roots. The role includes developing and interpreting multiscale models, incorporating mechanical properties of cell walls from experimental and simulation data, improving the software to reflect laboratory manipulations, and publishing results in the scientific literature.
The position is based at Leiden University’s Faculty of Science, in a strong international research environment on the Leiden Bio Science Park. The work is embedded in a broader quantitative biology ecosystem and offers interaction with researchers in mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics. The post holder is expected to participate in GreenTE events, training, and collaborations, and will also contribute to teaching and student supervision.
Applicants should have a relevant master’s degree, strong English communication and scientific writing skills, experience with numerical modeling and programming, and a genuine interest in plant developmental biology. The appointment is for one year initially, with a view to permanent employment, and is a full-time PhD position with a monthly gross salary in the range of €3204 to €4051 plus standard Dutch university employment benefits.
The deadline for full consideration is 15 September 2026, with a flexible start date in fall or winter 2026.
