MPhil/PhD Vice Chancellor Scholarship

Medway Campus

University of Greenwich currently has funding available for one Vice Chancellor Scholarship within the Natural Resources Institute. Candidates may apply to pursue one of two projects advertised by NRI, with the expectation that the top-ranked candidate out of the applications to both projects will receive the scholarship.

The Natural Resources Institute (NRI) of the University of Greenwich is an international leader in natural resources research, promoting efficient management and use of renewable natural resources in support of sustainable livelihoods worldwide. Research is primarily focused on developing and emerging economies. NRI's presence and research partnerships in developing countries, and its training and capacity building programmes, provides the platform for the Institute to develop and disseminate key technologies and knowledge. This has resulted in substantial impact at farmer and community level, and has made significant contributions to the international research community. Much of the work also involves interaction with the developed world where it is equally applicable. One area of research where this is particularly true is the technology relating to handling of food crops for both international and national trade. The Produce Quality Centre has been established as a UK based research centre focusing on handling and storage of perishable crops.

Project 1: Understanding metabolic responses during long-term storage; the impact of the oxygen gradient on apple metabolism

Ref: VCS-ES-05a-16

Description: For apple storage there is a move towards lower oxygen storage in order to extend the storage period for good quality fruit. This has led to the development of a number of technologies for detecting low oxygen stress so that the atmosphere within the store can be adapted depending on the fruit behaviour. This is called Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere (DCA) Storage. Several projects are underway across the world to investigate best methods. For example NRI is part of an Agritech Catalyst project to develop a method for DCA using respiration characteristics. The success of DCA depends on understanding low oxygen stress as well as which characteristics make an apple resistant to low oxygen damage.

Bulky plant organs such as apples and potatoes rely on oxygen diffusion to supply the substrate for respiration, which results in a gradient of oxygen concentration that decreases from the surface to the centre of the fruit. Very little is known about how metabolism adapts to the different oxygen concentrations that are maintained at different depths in the tissue. Understanding this, and the effects where produce is stored at low oxygen is increasingly important with modern storage methods.

The proposed project will develop a model for metabolic status of fruit tissues depending on external atmosphere and tissue characteristics. The project will compare fruit from apple varieties that we know differ in response to low oxygen due to tissue density, and also fruit grown under different light interception levels resulting in different dry matter content.

The successful candidate will become part of a growing team in the Produce Quality Centre (PQC) working on a wide range of postharvest technologies and will be provided with a thorough training in molecular biology and biochemistry and modelling. The project will benefit from a number of methods recently developed within the PQC; Profiling of oxygen concentration through the flesh using an oxygen microelectrode, staining for reactive oxygen species (hydrogen peroxide, superoxide) and measurements of tissue texture and porosity. In addition standard methods of metabolite analysis, enzyme activity and gene expression will be used to understand the changes in metabolic control at the different oxygen concentration and redox potentials.

For more information please contact: Dr Debbie Rees (d.rees@gre.ac.uk)

Project 2: Bioinformatician: Characterisation of virus populations of food security crops using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)

Ref: VCS-ES-05b-16

Description: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized research on viral pathogens and has been emerging as a rapid and reliable tool for plant virus diagnostics but the characteristic rapid evolution rates and compact genomes of viruses presents bioinformatic challenges in the determination of viral genetic diversity. Specialized bioinformatic approaches are thus required.

The Natural Resources Institute (NRI) seeks an enthusiastic bioinformatician to study plant viral diversity and host interactions using NGS data from West African yam lines, thereby improving food security and yam yields for West African farmers. The aim of the PhD will be to drive the design and implementation of diagnostic tools to mitigate the spread and transmission of viruses in yam and other vegetatively propagated root and tuber crops using NGS datasets.

The Bioinformatician will apply existing and novel algorithms focused on studying viruses and virus-host interactions through comparative genomics, transcriptomics and metagenomics. Existing viral databases will be used for a priori and de novo assembly, identification and annotation of existing and novel virus populations in yams. Resulting viral genomes will be curated in custom databases running PostgreSQL or MySQL. Phylogenetics and evolution of identified viruses will inform selection of potential markers for diagnostic tests by comparative analysis of viral repeats and highly conserved regions.

Proficiency in Perl or Python and R is essential, as is experience working on Linux/Unix batch systems. Previous experience working with databases systems (MySQL/PostgreSQL) on Linux systems is desirable.

For more information please contact: Prof Sue Seal (s.e.seal@gre.ac.uk)

Bursary available (subject to satisfactory performance):

Year 1: £14,296 Year 2: In line with RCUK rate  Year 3: In line with RCUK rate

In addition, the successful candidate will receive a contribution to tuition fees equivalent to the university’s Home/EU rate, currently £4,121, for the duration of their scholarship. International applicants will need to pay the remainder tuition fee, currently £8,029, for the duration of their scholarship. This fee is subject to an annual increase. Scholarships are available for three years from the date scholars first register as an MPhil/PhD student with the university. Scholarships are available for full-time study only. Applicants must hold a Master’s degree (UK or UK equivalent) or a First Class or Upper Second Class Honours Bachelor’s in a relevant discipline. 

For additional information about the scholarship and links to the application form please go to:http://www2.gre.ac.uk/research/study/studentships 

Please read this information before making an application.
Applications need to be made online via http://www2.gre.ac.uk/research/study/apply/application_process 
No other form of application will be considered.

All applications must include the following information. Applications not containing these documents will not be considered.

• Scholarship Reference Number (Ref) – included in the personal statement section together with your personal statement as to why you are applying
• a research proposal *“(see additional information for details)
• a CV including 2 referees *
• academic qualification certificates/transcripts and IELTs/English Language certificate if you are an international applicant or if English is not your first language or you are from a country where English is not the majority spoken language as defined by the UK Border Agency *

*upload to the supporting information section of the application form. Attachments need to be in PDF format.

The closing date for applications is midnight (UTC) on 12 July 2016.

The scholarship must commence between 1 August 2016 and 30 September 2016. Therefore the Department would like the scholar to start on 1 September 2016.

For more information please contact:

VCS-ES-05a-16 – Dr Debbie Rees (d.rees@gre.ac.uk)

VCS-ES-05b-16 – Prof Sue Seal (s.e.seal@gre.ac.uk)