Environmental Chemistry/Nanobiotechnology

Current agricultural practices are unsustainable, in part because of poor efficiency of agrochemical inputs. Achieving more sustainable agriculture is one of the greatest challenges facing society and will require a convergence of disciplines and ideas to find solutions. We are looking for a Ph.D. student to join a highly interdisciplinary team of academics and industry collaborators developing nanotechnology-based approaches to improve the uptake and distribution of nutrients and pest protection products in crop plants including wheat, maize, and citrus. The ideal candidate would have strong environmental chemistry skills and interests in plant biology, molecular modeling, polymer chemistry, and interfacial science.

This is a 48-60 month fully-funded PhD project in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. It will be supervised by Dr. Greg Lowry (primary), and co-supervised with a second advisor from our team with complimentary expertise.

Applicants with a MS or BS in Environmental or Chemical Engineering, Chemistry or a closely related subject will be given highest priority.