Dr P Robson
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
Paul Robson*, John Clifton-Brown & Iain Donnison (Energy Grasses & Biorefining, Aberystwyth University, Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, SY23 3EE); William Cracroft-Eley and Michal Mos (Terravesta Assured Energy Crops ltd.)
A PhD studentship is available in collaboration with Terravesta the leading UK energy crop company to improve establishment phase development and yield in the bioenergy crop Miscanthus.
Yield in Miscanthus is a complex trait (Robson et al., (2013a) J. Exp. Botany); however, the amount of time spent growing is a major determinant of yield in bioenergy crops (Robson et al., (2013b) J. Exp. Botany). The regulation of plant development and how plants interact with the environment to regulate growth is an important area of biology for many crops and will be explored in this project. The project will focus on early season growth aiming to establish the crop earlier in the season and ensure yield and crop growth is optimised for different environments. Understanding the environmental signals that trigger growth and the interactions between traits and agronomy that produce an early crop will be investigated.
Miscanthus is an excellent bioenergy crop because it has a strongly positive energy balance. The energy balance is positive and crop quality is good because Miscanthus is a perennial crop and biomass is harvested fully senesced (Robson et al., (2012) Bioenergy Res.). Tropicalized Miscanthus germplasm exhibits high yield in the UK but poor senescence and overwintering. The project will improve our understanding of the signals that trigger senescence. This will improve the energy balance of the crop, allow tropicalized germplasm to be utilised in the UK and will generate an enormous boost to yield and quality of Miscanthus in the UK.
We seek a biologist with an interest in plant or crop science who is keen to improve an emerging crop in Europe and to develop a range of skills in plant physiology, eco-physiology, crop modelling and genetics. We have a dynamic team developing a new crop species, in an area of global significance. The PhD would be part of a multidisciplinary team studying different aspects of bioenergy crop production including next generation genotyping, physiology, yield, crop quality, conversion technologies and biorefining (website: http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/research/ei/) and would work on placement with the leading bioenergy crop company in the UK.
Funding Notes
The candidate must be willing to travel, this project will involve periods of work in collaboration with our industrial partner in the UK. The studentship is four years starting in October 2015. The stipend will be the current research council rate (£13,863 tax free p.a.) and UK fees (currently of £3,996 p.a.). Apply directly to [Email Address Removed] including your c.v. and covering letter, plus nominees for two references. Applicants from the EU must meet the residence criteria as set out by the BBSRC in order to be eligible for a full award (for details see http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/web/FILES/Guidelines/studentship_eligibility.pdf).
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