A new research group will be established at the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES) of the University of Bonn (Germany), funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) under the ‘Emmy Noether’ programme.
The group will explore the adaptation of cereal crops, especially rice, to abiotic environmental stresses, which are major constraints to global food security. A common denominator of many types of environmental stress - such as mineral deficiencies, toxicities, or high tropospheric ozone concentration - is that they result in ‘oxidative stress’ caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS).
The aim of the research group is to find mechanisms by which plants can detoxify and tolerate ROS, and to identify the genes associated with such tolerance mechanisms. The group will employ a highly interdisciplinary approach that incorporates aspects of plant breeding, physiology, biochemistry, and crop agronomy. The work is essentially laboratory and greenhouse based, but field experiments are planned together with international collaborators in China, the Philippines, Benin, etc.
Within this research group, funding for doctoral research (PhD scholarships) is available.
Benefits:
- A PhD scholarship of approximately EUR 1000,- monthly (including social and health insurance) for a period of three years;
- Sufficient research funds and access to the research infrastructure of INRES and other institutes of the University of Bonn;
- Integration into an international research network that includes partners in Japan, China, the Philippines, Benin, etc. Collaborative work and field studies planned;
- Good working atmosphere in a small and efficient research team.
