$31,500 per annum plus RTP fee offset for 3 years (for domestic students)
Applications close 31st August 2023
The Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE) is
offering a research scholarship to a highly motivated PhD
candidate to work on a project focused towards improving
production of vegetable crops and trailing technologies for
early detection of common bacterial diseases. The project is
co-funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia, the
Department of Primary Industries NSW, and Western
Sydney University.
The student will develop early warning systems for the
detection of bacterial foliar pathogens. Sensitive eDNA
methods will be developed to detect the presence and
viability of these pathogens. They will investigate the
molecular changes in the plant during the pre-symptomatic
stages of the disease to identify novel biomarkers of
infection for diagnostic assay development for early warning
systems. Controlled environment experiments will determine
if different climatic events will have an impact on biomarker
variability. The most promising methods for early detection
will be tested at local farms to develop case studies
illustrating how they can be adopted by growers.
The Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE) is a
research institute within Western Sydney University. The
HIE has rapidly become a research leader in agronomic and
plant-microbe research, with a strong reputation for
delivering research outcomes of the highest quality. The
project will be based at HIE with the opportunity to work with
industry professionals.
For more information and to apply: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/schools/grs/scholarships/current_scholarships/current_scholarships/maximizing_disease_suppression_scaling_up_biocontrol_strategies_for_bacterial_pathogens
