Applications are invited for this exciting, fully-funded, 42 month PhD studentship at the University of Aberdeen. This project is part of the newly established Anthony & Margaret Johnston Centre for Doctoral Training in Plant Sciences enabled by a generous legacy gift.
Project Description
Great potential exists to harness plant traits at the root–soil interface, mainly rhizodeposition and root hairs, to ‘build’ soils with better structure to trap more carbon and resources, and resist climate stresses (Hallett et al. 2022). We discovered that root hairs and the secretion of rhizodeposits drive these changes and help plants overcome physical limitations to root growth (Marin et al. 2020). The root soil interface is arguably the most important interface on the planet and root surface traits are untapped in crop breeding, offering a potential to develop improved varieties to tackle global issues such as climate-smart sustainable agriculture. Moreover, root surface traits vary significantly between plant species, with some monocots having abundant root hairs whilst others have none (Brown et al. 2017). Understanding how this affects plant-soil interactions explores a fundamental aspect of how plants work, and could inform crop mixture or rotation selection.
You will explore root hair and rhizodeposition impacts on plants and soils in greater detail, focussing on differences between diverse monocot species. It will bring in understanding of temporal changes caused by microbial transformations of rhizodeposits that also prime the mineralisation of native organic carbon. The biophysical environment that forms the microbial habitat at the root-soil interface will be characterised by a combination of small-scale mechanical and hydrological measurements (Naveed et al. 2018), and high-resolution imaging with X-Ray CT (Koebernick et al. 2019). Isotopic labelling will quantify rhizodeposits entering and diffusing through soil, potentially aided by the lateral spread of root hairs. The project will quantify the uptake of rhizodeposits by microbes (Malik et al., 2020), and the subsequent production of soil stabilising exo-polymeric substances. With our existing measurement approaches, spatial and temporal measurements along the lengths of roots are possible.
The AIM of the project is to quantify beneficial root surface traits across a range of plant species and soil conditions. It has the following OBJECTIVES:
- To quantify how root surface traits physically manipulate soils.
- To explore the transformation of rhizodeposits and native soil carbon by microorganisms as affected by root surface traits.
- To investigate the interactions between plant root surface traits and the physical and biological properties at the root-soil interface.
- To assess impacts using different plant species and soil conditions.
The programme of research offers great flexibility for you to take ownership of research, which can draw on your strengths and interests. The diverse training in plant biology, soil physics and soil biogeochemistry will produce a graduate that fills a major skill-gap.
Essential background of student
This PhD project is ideally suited for students trained in plant or soil sciences, but it could also be conducted by students with a general background in biological or physical sciences. There are multiple routes that a student could chose when taking ownership of the project, which will draw on their strengths and interests.
Applicants are expected to hold (or be about to achieve) at least a 2:1 UK Honours degree (or Equivalent). Applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree (or Equivalent) may be considered providing they have a Distinction or Commendation at Master’s level.
We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, and are committed to having a diverse, inclusive team. Informal enquiries are encouraged. Please contact Professor Paul Hallett ([Email Address Removed]) for further information.
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APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
- Formal applications can be completed online: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pgap/login.php
- You should apply for Biological Sciences (PhD) to ensure your application is passed to the correct team.
- Please clearly note the name of the supervisor and project title on the application form. If you do not mention the project title and the supervisor on your application it will not be considered for the studentship.
- Please include a cover letter specific to the project you are applying for, an up-to-date copy of your academic CV, undergraduate and postgraduate educational certificates and full transcripts.
- Please note: you DO NOT need to provide a research proposal with this application
- General application enquiries can be made to [Email Address Removed]
- Further information can be found here.
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