Do biogenic VOCs protect plant productivity under multiple environmental stress?

With the global population projected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, food security is a
growing concern in many world regions. Rising temperatures, changes in precipitation
and deteriorating air quality compound the problem by reducing yields of many staple
crops. In response to these environmental stresses many plants have evolved to produce
defensive compounds to protect vital photosynthetic and metabolic pathways from
damage caused by heat and oxidants. Once released to the atmosphere however many
of these compounds are highly reactive and their oxidation can lead to the formation of
secondary air pollutants such as ozone. You will investigate the response of oilseed rape,
a key global crop used for food, fodder and biofuel production, to elevated temperatures
and ozone concentrations and periods of drought. You will spend 18 months conducting a
series of experiments in the state-of-the-art solardome facilities at CEH Bangor to
determine how such stresses affect photosynthesis, crop yield and nutritional quality, and
how the synthesis and production of protective compounds change under different
conditions and at different periods in the growing season. By applying these
environmental stresses singly and in combination you will explore how the interactions
between them may exacerbate or ameliorate the impacts of the individual treatments. For
the remainder of your time you will be based at Lancaster Environment Centre, where you
will develop a computer model to simulate the effect of future climate and air quality
change on global crop production and emissions of these protective compounds. This will
enable you to investigate the implications for food supply under various future scenarios
and inform policy on this vital issue.

Applicants should hold a minimum of a UK Honours degree at 2:1 level or equivalent in
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Natural or Environmental Science, or a related
discipline. Enthusiasm, self-motivation, curiosity and the ability to communicate to a range
of audiences would all be distinctly advantageous.

For further details please contact Kirsti Ashworth ([Email Address Removed]) or
Felicity Hayes ([Email Address Removed]).