Developing Pop-up horticulture for quality high yielding salad crops

There is urgent need to find new ways of sustainably supplying locally produced salad crops in the UK. Recent concerns about the vulnerability of the supply change and reliance on imported crops means that we need to find new ways to deliver locally produced crops. To respond to this opportunity we need to develop systems that can rapidly grow crops in artificial indoor environments but can also exploit unused outdoor growing spaces during the summer months. Such Pop-up horticulture means that we will soon be able to respond to gaps in the market and target crop supply against demand.

This studentship will work with Phytoponics (https://phytoponics.com/) a hydroponic company in South Wales. It aims to further develop and optimise their Hydrosac plant growing system. The project will use the Hydrosac in different environments to investigate the control of fruit and leafy salad quality. Individual and combinations of parameters will be optimised for crop quantity and quality. Experiments will also test short-term high parameter level treatments to stimulate crop quality while reducing potential impacts on yield and time to harvestable yield. We will also test the application of stress to manipulate crop quality.

Our aims are to:
• To develop the Hydrosac system on a range of salad crops.
• To investigate how the system can be optimised for specific crops with a focus on system production.
• To scope the potential to vary parameters and employ stress tools to manipulate and control quality.

This studentship would suit a person that has a background in the Biological / Environmental sciences but has some understanding of Plant Physiology and / or Horticulture. The individual will be a creative innovator interested in science that has an impact on our future. S/he must be numerate, possess strong writing skills and be able to project manage with a focus on responding to targets and delivering output. As part of this project the student may be expected to spend periods working in Italy with a partner of the company.

The successful candidate will need to be resident in the convergence area on registration, and must have the right to work in the region on qualification. The successful applicant should have a minimum of a 1st or good 2:1 in a relevant degree, and be available to take up the studentship by 1st October 2017. The project is part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) through the European Union’s Convergence programme administered by the Welsh Government. KESS II PhD scholarships are collaborative awards with external partners. (Applicants need to only apply, they do not need to search for partners).

To apply, please submit the following to the Postgraduate Admissions Office (address below) by 20th July 2017.
1. A completed Research Programme Application Form, two references. Application and reference forms may be downloaded from http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/postgrad/howtoapply/
2. A completed KESS II Participant proposal form (put the reference number AU30014 in the top right hand box of the application form) and an up-to-date CV. KESS II application forms are available to download at the link below.
http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/rbi/staff-students/knowledge-economy-skills-scholarships/currentscholarshipvacanciesandapplicationforms/
3. A PhD proposal of up to 1,000 words where you expand on your experience and interests and describe why you are a good candidate for this research studentship. Please refer to the Project Description.

Value of Award: A stipend of £14,340 (rising in accordance with inflation for the remaining two years). Each scholarship has an additional budget for travel, equipment/consumables and training to support your research. KESS II PhD Scholarship holders do not pay fees.
Length: Full-time for 3 years. (Theses must be submitted 6 months after the funded three year study period.)
Training: The achievement of a Postgraduate Skills Development Award (PSDA) is compulsory for each KESS II scholar (The PSDA is based on a 60 credit award, which is an additional award to the PhD).
Eligibility: To be eligible to apply for a KESS II award, you must be resident, upon starting the scholarship, in the Convergence Area of Wales and you must be able to take paid employment in the Convergence area on completion of the scholarship.

For further student eligibility criteria related to the individual projects, please view the details of the individual project above.

Informal enquiries should be made to Dr Dylan Gwynn-Jones at [Email Address Removed] or 01970 622318

Address for applications:

Postgraduate Admissions Office
Recruitment & Admissions
Student Welcome Centre
Aberystwyth University
Aberystwyth
SY23 3FB

Quote Reference AU30014

Closing date for applications 20th July 2017