Are you a motivated undergraduate with a passion for genetics, genomics and plant science?

Would you like to be at the cutting edge of agricultural research, working to secure the future of wheat breeding in the face of climate change and food insecurity?

We’re offering an exciting PhD opportunity open to international students, with Prof Anthony Hall at the Earlham Institute and Dr Simon Griffiths at the John Innes Centre, in collaboration with wheat breeding companies.

This studentship is fully funded and aims to investigate how genetic variation influences the expression of “elite” wheat genes crucial for traits like stress tolerance, yield and flowering time.

You’ll explore gene expression diversity using a unique pantranscriptomic dataset from over 100 wheat lines, and apply advanced techniques such as eQTL mapping, methylation analysis, promoter studies and copy number variation. You’ll also validate your findings using cutting-edge molecular biology approaches on wheat breeding lines.

This is your chance to make a tangible impact on future food security, gain invaluable interdisciplinary skills, and contribute to world-leading crop science.

Apply by 23:59 GMT on 14 May 2025 and grow the future of sustainable agriculture.

This project is awarded with a 4-year fully funded joint John Innes Foundation and Earlham Institute PhD Studentship.

For more details and how to apply:
https://www.earlham.ac.uk/studentship/uncovering-genetic-drivers-gene-expression-elite-wheat-varieties