ppOrganisation / Company University of Almeria Department Biology Laboratory Vegetable Plant Breeding Is the Hosting related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No /ppThe University of Almería is pleased to host potential MSCA-PF 2026 applicants! Professor Manuel Jamilena (Dept. of Biology) welcomes expressions of interest from talented researchers eager to develop an innovative project under his supervision. Applicants must satisfy the MSCA Mobility Rule. Further information regarding the 2026 call requirements is available here . /ph3Our institution /h3pFounded in 1993, the University of Almería (UAL) is a dynamic and modern public institution located on the Mediterranean coast, actively contributing to the European Research Area through international collaboration. Our research community comprises 1,041 professionals and 144 recognized research groups , all committed to excellence, social impact, and high-level knowledge transfer. /ppUAL is internationally recognized for its leadership in strategic sectors, ranking in the Top 151-200 of the Shanghai Ranking (GRAS) in fields such as Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology, and Nursing. Our research capabilities are centralized in 12 Specialized Research Centers . /ppUAL holds a strong international vocation and a solid track record in international research programs (H2020, Horizon Europe) and academic cooperation (Erasmus+ KA2), currently managing 46 active international projects as both a partner and coordinator. We take pride in our leadership capacity, having coordinated 9 Horizon Europe Pillar II proposals and heading large-scale initiatives such as the LIFE ACCLIMATE project, and the EU Reference Laboratories (EURL) network. Moreover, UAL is the Coordinator of UNIgreen , the Green European University - a European Alliance of 8 institutions dedicated to sustainable agriculture and biotechnology. /ppOur office provides "end-to-end" personalized advice, from the proposal writing phase (including technical reviews)



to financial management and final reporting. /ph3The Centre / Research Group /h3pThe Horticultural Genetics Group is a specialized scientific unit at the University of Almería (UAL) in Spain. Since its founding in 2003, the group has been led by Professor Manuel Jamilena and has played a key role in the biotechnology and genetic improvement of Mediterranean vegetable crops. The group's research focuses primarily on the genetics and plant breeding of cucurbit species, particularly zucchini and watermelon.br/Using advanced technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), phenomics, and functional genomics, the group maps quantitative trait loci (QTLs) responsible for desirable traits. The group also employs techniques such as TILLING, genetic transformation, and gene editing mediated by CRISPR/Cas9. /ppKey research lines: /pulliUnderstand the genetic and molecular pathways that control flower and fruit development in cucurbit crops. /liliPlant breeding: Discovering new traits and molecular markers for selecting high-value agricultural genotypes /liliHormonal regulation: Studying the roles of ethylene, auxin, jasmonic acid (JA), and gibberellic acid (GA) in plant development. /liliPostharvest quality: Improving the shelf life and cold storage tolerance of fruitsbr/Genetic Resources: Managing the UAL's traditional seed bank (BSUAL) and the Cucurbita pepo TILLING-by-sequencing platform. /li /ulpCurrent/Recent Projects:br/- Quality traits: Identifying genes that regulate the nutritional and functional properties of Cucurbita fruits.br/- Climate Change Adapted Genotypes:



Using genomics to improve the environmental resilience of crops.br/- Virus resistance: ToLCNDV. /ph3The Project /h3pUse of genomic tools for breeding multi-stress resistance and fruit quality traits in zucchini. /ppbr/The genus Cucurbita is hugely important in the integral cultivation of pumpkins and squashes. Breeding for tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses without compromising the nutritional and functional fruit quality will ensure the sustainability of the crop in the face of climate change challenges. /ppOur research group at UAL preserves more than 1,300 accessions of different Cucurbita species in the BSUAL seed bank, and has also generated a TILLING population of more than 3,500 independent mutant lines in the line of C. pepo reference genome. These two sources of genetic variability will be used in this doctoral thesis to identify traits and genes that are of interest for zucchini breeding, including tolerances to biotic and abiotic stresses and nutritional and functional fruit quality traits. Genetic variability will be selected based on direct screenings, and agronomic traits of interest will subsequently be mapped by QTL-sequencing. The identified QTLs will not only serve to identify the genes responsible for the phenotype, but also to detect molecular markers useful for Cucurbita breeding. On the other hand, the database of more than 500,000 mutations from our TILLING-by-sequencing platform will be used to identify EMS mutations in genes related to genetic resistance to fungal and viral diseases, plant tolerance to salt stress, and functional fruit quality traits, including the accumulation of carotenoids. The phenotyping of the selected mutants will provide both the traits and the molecular markers for Cucurbita breeding, which will undoubtedly impact on crop sustainability in a climate change scenario. /ph3Research Area /h3pLife Sciences (LIFE)br/ /p /p #J-18808-Ljbffr

📌 Postdoc in Genomics-Driven Cucurbita Breeding (España)
🏢 University of Almeria
📍 España