Sub sections:
Postgraduate Research Opportunities
Assessing the Impacts of Biochar on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Soil
Biochar potentially has a major role in climate change mitigation and in enhancing sustainability of Australian agriculture. There is growing evidence that biochar can enhance plant growth, improve nutrient and water use efficiency, enhance soil properties, sequester carbon for hundreds to thousands of years. New research indicates that some biochars can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from soil.
A PhD candidate is sought for a project to assess the impacts of biochar on greenhouse gas emissions from soil. The candidate will be primarily located at Industry & Investment NSW's Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute near Lismore but will also be required to spend time at the UNE campus in Armidale. The PhD project will be part of a National project administered through the CSIRO and funded by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry. The student will be expected to have sound chemistry and soil/environmental science background. There will be opportunities to work with state-of-art analytical equipment. A PhD stipend to the value of $25,000pa will be available to the successful candidate.
PhD eligibility criteria can be obtained from: http://www.une.edu.au/courses/2009/courses/PHD. Informal inquiries can be emailed to Dr Lukas Van Zwieten (lukas.van.zwieten@industry.nsw.gov.au) or phone +61 2 6626 1126.
Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for drought stress tolerance and crop adaption in durum wheat.
Traits associated with drought stress tolerance and adaptation are of great importance to achieving consistent crop yields in durum wheat. These traits are also expected to be of critical importance for plant breeders in anticipation of future production environments due to climate change.
A PhD candidate is sought to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) or genomic regions under selection associated with drought stress tolerance and adaption traits in durum wheat that are critical for the crops to adapt the stress posed by global climate change. Breeding populations such as recombinant inbred lines, backcross, selected breeding lines and/or germplasm collections will be used for QTL detection. QTL mapping involves standard QTL detection techniques for self-pollinated crop species and/or association mapping. The candidate will be primarily located at the UNE campus in Armidale but will also be required to spend time at Industry & Investment NSW's Tamworth Agricultural Institute. The student will need to be familiar with basic techniques in plant breeding, DNA marker genotyping, Data analysis, QTL analysis, genetic mapping and bioinformatics. A PhD stipend to the value of $25,000pa will be available to the successful candidate.
PhD eligibility criteria can be obtained from: http://www.une.edu.au/courses/2009/courses/PHD. Informal inquiries can be emailed to Dr Bert Collard (bertrand.collard@industry.nsw.gov.au) or phone +61 2 6763 1232.
Development and characterisation of pasta as a functional food
A PhD candidate is sought for a project on the development and characterisation of pasta as a functional food, a project that is a collaboration between UNE, Industry & Investment NSW and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation. A top-up of $3000 per annum will be available to the APA. The candidate will investigate:
- effect of various combinations of fibres on the benefits to pasta
- structure-function relationships in modified pastas
- use of enzymes in selected functional pastas
PhD eligibility criteria can be obtained from: http://www.une.edu.au/courses/2009/courses/PHD. Informal inquiries can be emailed to Dr. Chris Fellows or phone +61 2 6773 2470. Scholarships are competitively available through the UNE's postgraduate program. Application forms can be obtained from: http://www.une.edu.au/research-services/forms/domesticappform.doc.