james hutton institute PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

University of Dundee School of Science and Engineering

Binks Institute for Sustainability: Protection of critical infrastructure in developing countries through bioengineering and intermediate technology

Earthquakes create a range of hazards for engineers, key amongst which is the need to keep critical infrastructure such as bridges open in the crucial few hours after the event. Read more

Supervisors: Dr A J Brennan, Prof J Knappett

30 April 2024 PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

MSc by Research: Speeding up the plant microbiota: investigating the impact of speed breeding on host-microbe interactions in the barley rhizosphere

Supervisors: Dr D Bulgarelli, Dr C Campoli

Feeding a growing world population amid climatic modifications and international conflicts represents an unprecedent challenge for crop production. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

University of Dundee UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy & Science

Leverhulme Doctoral Programme for Regenerative Innovation (Regnr8-i): The city as a Living Lab - Novel monitoring and machine-learning based modelling of trees for the bioengineering of the urban environment

Urban trees are an important nature-based solution to improve the social and environmental benefits of urban ecosystems, which are often not equitably distributed across urban landscapes. Read more

Supervisors: Dr M Ciantia, Dr A Morel, Mr KF Frediani, Dr D Boldrin

3 May 2024 PhD Research Project Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

MSc by Research: Signaling pathways controlling epidermal development in cereals

Plants living on land face brutal threats from pests, dehydration and temperature. To survive and thrive, land plants evolved a waxy ‘cuticle’ and distinctive epidermal cells such as gas pores and defensive barbs. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: Jasmonate control of barley development

From the earliest farmers to modern plant breeders, humans have continually modified the body plan of cereals, sometimes drastically, to generate higher grain yields. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: The Generation Gap – understanding tissue communication during grain development

Cereal grain provides more calories than any other source to our diet, making grain production vital to food security. We study grain development in barley, a globally important cereal, and a powerful genetic model system. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: Regulation of Architecture in Barley

Plant architecture, or body plan, plays a key role in determining grain yield of crop plants. However, we have little understanding of the molecular genetic basis of architecture in the temperate cereals such as barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), especially in comparison to the warm weather crops such as rice (Oryza sativa). Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only

MSc by Research: Genetic interactions and novel genes that regulate lignin biosynthesis and straw quality in barley

Supervisor: Prof C Halpin

Lignin is a major component of plant cell walls, and has a significant influence on the digestibility and uses of plant biomass. The lignin biosynthesis pathway has been one of the most intensively studied. Read more

Year round applications PhD Research Project Self-Funded PhD Students Only