MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2025 hosting offer at the Research Group “Defense evasion in plant-bacteria interactions”, University of Málaga

Job title:

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2025 hosting offer at the Research Group “Defense evasion in plant-bacteria interactions”, University of Málaga

Company:

Job description

Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterranea ‘La Mayora’ (IHSM) UMA-CSIC LaboratoryDefense evasion in plant-bacteria interactions (co-PI Javier Ruiz-Beuzon) Is the Hosting related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?NoContact Information Organisation / Company TypeHigher Education Institution WebsiteEmailcbeuzon@uma.es State/ProvinceMálaga Postal Code29010 StreetBulevar Louis Pasteur 49 PhoneDescriptionProf. Carmen R. Beuzón and Dr. Javier Ruiz-Albert, PIs of the ‘Defense evasion in plant-bacteria interactions’ research group of the Institute of Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticulture (IHSM) of the University of Málaga and CSIC are looking for candidates to prepare and submit a proposal to the 2025 MSCA PF call in the field of Plant/ Crop protection.About the supervisors:C.R. Beuzón completed her PhD (1996) under Prof. Casadesús supervision, focusing on the regulation of transposition in Salmonella. Two short research stays within a collaboration with Dr. Rubino’s lab (U. di Sassari, Italy) allowed het to apply the findings to epidemiology. Publications from the PhD work continue to receive citations as of 2024 and can be consulted together with the rest of her scientific production at . A postdoctoral period (up to 2002), in Prof. Holden’s group (Imperial College London, UK) initially funded by EMBO, determined a definitive move to bacterial pathogenesis, focused during this period on the Salmonella SPI2 type III secretion system (T3SS) and its role in intracellular replication and systemic infection. Characterization of T3SS effector SifA in particular, led to a paradigmatic change in how bacterial pathogens proliferate within macrophages, with SifA actively maintaining and customizing the Salmonella-containing vacuole. The publication of this finding has been highly cited (500+ citations, top 3% of papers with most citations according to Scopus).After joining the U. of Málaga (2003) within one of the first calls of the Ramón y Cajal Program, she started research by securing independent funds on the study of Pseudomonas syringae and plant-pathogen interactions, still focusing on T3SS and effectors. Since then, her work as PI of a research group, co-led with Dr. J. Ruiz-Albert since 2015, has explored pathogenesis mechanisms and regulation in P. syringae and plant defense responses, investigating both bacterial and plant processes. This has led to 30+ publications (800+ citations). Moreover, production of the group has experienced a significant boost in the last 5 years, being worthy of mention for its broad interest and relation to current research (and context for a potential MSCA proposal), our most recent work demonstrating cooperative virulence in P. syringae (López-Pagán et al, 2025, ref. below). Her contributions have also included agronomic studies in olive with 350+ citations. Recent work in the lab has recently expanded, banking on previous experience and collaborative network in Salmonella, to include research on Salmonella interactions with plants, addressing food security within the One Health initiative.About the research topics:Co-evolution between hosts and pathogens has led to sophisticated defence and virulence strategies. In plants, Pseudomonas syringae is a model pathogen key to understanding plant-microbe interactions. While much is known about its molecular interplay with hosts, some infection stages and pathogen strategies remain underexplored.Our group showed that P. syringae colonizes the leaf apoplast in discrete microcolonies adjacent to the host cell wall (Rufián et al., 2018). When bacteria with differing virulence traits co-exists within the same microcolony, they influence each other’s interaction with the plant (Rufián et al., 2018a), providing evidence of the potential for cooperation among strains with differences in virulence traits, such as the type III secretion system (T3SS). T3SS is a major virulence factor that delivers effectors into host cells to suppress immune responses triggered by pathogen-associated molecular patterns like flagellin. These effectors can also suppress plant detection of other effectors, making T3SS critical for both virulence in susceptible hosts and for determining resistance in others.A growing paradigm in microbiology emphasizes phenotypic heterogeneity-the ability of genetically identical cells to display varied traits-as a driver of adaptation, survival, and disease outcome. Though widely studied in animal pathogens, its role in plant pathogenesis remains largely unknown.Our lab is among the few to study phenotypic heterogeneity in a plant pathogen (Rufián et al., 2016; López-Pagán et al., 2025). We have demonstrated that T3SS expression is bistable under plant-like conditions and within host tissue, governed by a double-negative feedback loop and enhanced by a positive one. We have also recently shown that flagellar expression-key for motility, immunity, and adaptation-shows heterogeneity in vitro and during infection (López-Pagán et al., 2025). This heterogeneity helps mitigate fitness costs associated with expressing either system, ultimately supporting a division of labor strategy. We show that both stochastic and deterministic mechanisms drive this heterogeneity and that their spatial distribution shifts significantly during infection, being key in determining cooperative virulence.While most studies on pathogen heterogeneity-largely in animal models-focus on single traits in vitro, very few investigate multiple traits combined or their dynamics within the host. Our work stands out by addressing both, pushing beyond current approaches to examine phenotypic heterogeneity in community-level behaviors inside plant hosts.Thus, our group offers the unique opportunity of getting training in single-cell techniques in its application to studying gene expression in bacteria, within the context of the host plant, and a deep understanding of the roles of phenotypic heterogeneity processes in complex collective behaviors in bacteria such as the interaction with the plant.Rufián et al (2016) Environ Microbiol18, 3593-3605Rufián et al (2018) Mol Plant Pathol19, 537-551López-Pagán et al (2025) Nat Microbiol 10, 958-972Keywords:Plant pathogenesis / Plant defences / Pseudomonas syringae / Phenotypic heterogeneity / Multicellularity in bacteria.Expressions of interest:We invite candidates to submit a one-page expression of interest and a full CV by e-mail before the offer deadline.Candidates must fulfil the .Share this page

Expected salary

Location

Málaga

Job date

Wed, 21 May 2025 00:44:20 GMT

To help us track our recruitment effort, please indicate in your email/cover letter where (vacanciesin.eu) you saw this job posting.