About the Project
This project will characterise the extent and frequency of these rapid chromosomal rearrangements in three fungal wheat pathogens (Bipolaris sorokiniana, Pyrenophora tritici-repentis and Parastagonospora nodorum). This will involve whole-genome resequencing of a global collection of fungal isolates, followed by comprehensive genome and transposon annotation. This project will characterise chromosomal plasticity using long-read whole genome sequencing coupled with 3D genome re-construction techniques (known as Hi-C). Later stages of the project will use fluorescent imaging to validate chromosomal interactions observed in the sequencing data with live-cell imaging. These techniques all require infrastructure that currently exists within the School of Biosciences.
More information is available here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/mibtp/pgstudy/phd_opportunities/plantandcrop2020/fungi
Please feel free to contact the primary supervisor Dr. Megan McDonald via email for more information.
Funding Notes
MIBTP is a BBSRC funded Doctoral Training Partnership between the universities of Aston, Birmingham, Harper Adams, Leicester and Warwick. Students from a wide diversity of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply: those with creative drive in both theoretical disciplines (for example, maths, computer science, statistics) as well as experimental science (for example, biology, biomedicine, chemistry, biotechnology). Studentships include fees (cost of UK fee rate), a tax-free annual stipend, a travel allowance in year 1, a travel/conference budget, a generous consumables budget and use of a MacBook Pro for the duration of the programme.
