Plant Biology PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships for Self-funded Students in Dundee

MSc by Research: Molecular mechanisms underlying aphid effector virulence activity

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Pests and diseases are a major threat to food security with losses ranging between 20-40%. Aphids are one of the most devastating insect pests, globally. Read more

Supervisor: Dr J Bos

MSc by Research: Signaling pathways controlling epidermal development in cereals

Plants living on land face brutal threats from pests, dehydration and temperature. To survive and thrive, land plants evolved a waxy ‘cuticle’ and distinctive epidermal cells such as gas pores and defensive barbs. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

The James Hutton Institute Postgraduate Training

A time-resolved model for the Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem during floral transition

Background. Aerial parts of plants originate from pluripotent cells in the shoot apical meristem (SAM). An important determinant of crop yield but also of importance to wild species in a natural environment is the correct timing of developmental transitions. Read more

Supervisors: Dr V Wahl, Dr R Hancock, Prof H Jonsson

14 June 2024 PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

MSc by Research: Speeding up the plant microbiota: investigating the impact of speed breeding on host-microbe interactions in the barley rhizosphere

Supervisors: Dr D Bulgarelli, Dr C Campoli

Feeding a growing world population amid climatic modifications and international conflicts represents an unprecedent challenge for crop production. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

The James Hutton Institute PhD Opportunities

BARIToNE: Improving barley climate resilience using a candidate gene approach (Project code 24H)

Supervisors. Lead supervisor - Dr Martin Balcerowicz, University of Dundee. Second supervisor - Dr Craig Simpson, James Hutton Institute. Read more

Supervisors: Dr M Balcerowicz, Dr C Simpson, Ms G MacDonald

31 May 2024 PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

BARIToNE: Improving barley climate resilience using a candidate gene approach (Project code 24H)

Supervisors: Dr M Balcerowicz, Dr C Simpson, Ms G MacDonald

Supervisors. Lead supervisor - Dr Martin Balcerowicz, University of Dundee. Second supervisor - Dr Craig Simpson, James Hutton Institute. Read more

31 May 2024 PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

The James Hutton Institute PhD Opportunities

BARIToNE: Deep Seeded: Improving barley for deeper sowing (Project code 24I)

Supervisors. Lead supervisor - Dr Sarah McKim, University of Dundee. Second supervisor - Dr Chiara Campoli, James Hutton Institute. Read more

Supervisors: Dr S McKim, Dr C Campoli, Dr L Ramsay, Dr D Sparkes

31 May 2024 PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

BARIToNE: Deep Seeded: Improving barley for deeper sowing (Project code 24I)

Supervisors: Dr S McKim, Dr C Campoli, Dr L Ramsay, Dr D Sparkes

Supervisors. Lead supervisor - Dr Sarah McKim, University of Dundee. Second supervisor - Dr Chiara Campoli, James Hutton Institute. Read more

31 May 2024 PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

University of Dundee School of Science and Engineering

Last chance to apply

Binks Institute for Sustainability: Development of a rapid characterisation method for the engineering response of trees for hazard assessment and use in nature-based solutions

Climate Change is resulting in increasingly extreme weather events which can have significant impacts on transport infrastructure. Read more

Supervisors: Prof J Knappett, Dr M Ciantia

30 April 2024 PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

MSc by Research: Jasmonate control of barley development

From the earliest farmers to modern plant breeders, humans have continually modified the body plan of cereals, sometimes drastically, to generate higher grain yields. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: The Generation Gap – understanding tissue communication during grain development

Cereal grain provides more calories than any other source to our diet, making grain production vital to food security. We study grain development in barley, a globally important cereal, and a powerful genetic model system. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: Regulation of Architecture in Barley

Plant architecture, or body plan, plays a key role in determining grain yield of crop plants. However, we have little understanding of the molecular genetic basis of architecture in the temperate cereals such as barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), especially in comparison to the warm weather crops such as rice (Oryza sativa). Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only