Fungal biosynthesis of compounds for enteric methane mitigation

Thirty-five percent of New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas emissions are a result of methane production in our grazing sheep and cattle. The reduction of these agricultural methane emissions to meet our obligations under the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Climate Accord is a significant priority of the New Zealand government, with millions of dollars invested into methane mitigation research including improved livestock genetics, vaccines, and methane production inhibitors. New Zealand is at the forefront of research identifying compounds that can be used as inhibitors of enteric methane production, with currently known compounds providing up to 80% reduction in methane production in ruminant animals. Despite the potential of these compounds to reduce methane emissions when used as feed additives, the ability to deliver such compounds to our ten million hectares of dairy, sheep, and beef farms remains a critical challenge. These projects, funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, will make significant advances in providing dual manufacturing methods for natural methane inhibitor compounds - both in a fungal factory system as well as a significant step change in the form of a novel pasture-based delivery system.

We are seeking two enthusiastic PhD students to join the project teams, with one student based primarily at Victoria University of Wellington and one student based primarily at the University of Canterbury. The students will be responsible for performing laboratory-based synthetic biology research, utilizing molecular biology and analytical chemistry techniques to understand and manipulate fungal biosynthetic pathways for the production of statins, bacteriocins, and other compounds for enteric methane mitigation.