SLU news
PhD position: Ash for the future
Published: 05 December 2019
PhD-position in forestry with focus on ex-situ conservation of European ash and breeding for resistance against the fungal pathogen causing ash dieback throughout Europe.
Forestry is one of the major economic engines of Sweden as well as a socio-cultural icon. Healthy forests are important for meeting many societal demands and challenges especially now in a time of a growing bio-economy that requires a recognition of wood traits of many tree species as their potential has not been discovered.
In recent decades, forests in Sweden have been threatened by new and emerging pests and pathogens. European ash is one of several noble broadleaved tree species that has been affected by deadly invasive fungal diseases. Commonly known as 'ash dieback', this disease is largely threatening the existence of ash trees in Swedish populations and the species has been included in a national "Red-list" as a critically endangered.
The project will be carried out in a close collaboration between Skogforsk and SLU. The position is for 5-years and defined as 60% of research time at Skogforsk and 20% research time at SLU and 20% internship at Skogforsk. The internship consists of practical work at Skogforsk in close collaboration with forest companies.
More information about the position: Skogforsk