Photo credit: Vivian Lynch
About the project:
In times of changing climate, hailstorms are increasing in frequency and intensity. Climate models predict up to 50% more hail-induced damage by 2050. Hailstorms can cause considerable yield losses; however, not all plants are equally affected. Identifying and understanding the adaptations that enable some plants to survive hail impacts relatively unscathed will be key to breeding crops that are fit for the future. Past research has focused on field-scale assessments of damage only. This PhD project will investigate the interaction of hail impacts with plants at the individual organism level.
You will (1) characterise the mechanical properties of leaves and stems, as well as their kinematic and physiological responses to simulated hail impacts, (2) establish a framework for objectively assessing and quantifying impact-induced damage, and (3) investigate the influence of weather preceding a hailstorm on the likelihood and severity of damage, with the aim to identify leaf traits and growth conditions that confer increased damage resistance during extreme weather events. The project builds on previous projects in our lab and benefits from a custom-built and extensively tested hail simulation setup, as well as the availability of four brand new, fully controllable weather simulation units at Exeter University. You will be based in a lab with two decades of experience of studying the biomechanical adaptations of plants to deal with physical challenges in their natural environment. An interdisciplinary supervisor team of ecologists, biomechanists, molecular biologists and computer scientists offers the opportunity to receive training in a diversity of methods from 3D motion capture and AI-guided video analysis to state-of-the-art bioimaging techniques, physiological measurements, and quantification of molecular responses to hail impacts. The project would equally suit a student from a biology, physics or engineering background, and it is flexible to accommodate individual interests and strengths within the overall scope.
Understanding the physiological costs of hail impacts and the biomechanical underpinnings of hail resistance in plants will not only help to inform crop breeders of traits to select for in order to produce more resilient crop plants, but also provide inspiration for architects and engineers aiming to construct buildings that are better equipped to withstand hailstorms and other extreme weather events. Understanding how the prevailing weather and microclimate influence the susceptibility of plant to hail damage will further help farmers to optimise growth conditions and identify time windows of increased damage risk in crop life cycles.
How to apply:
A fully funded 4-year Studentship is available for this project. Please contact us as soon as possible if you are interested in applying.
Apply by 11 December 2024, 23:59 for a start in September 2025.
Applicants for a studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of science or technology. Applicants with a Lower Second Class degree will be considered if they also have a Master’s degree or have significant relevant research or non-academic experience.
In addition, due to the strong mathematical component of the taught course in the first year and the quantitative emphasis in the project, quantitative/mathematical experience is needed. This can be demonstrated through one or more of the following:
- Undertaking units as part of your degree that have a significant quantitative/mathematical component (e.g. maths, statistics, physics, engineering, bioinformatics)
- Maths or Physics A-level (grade B and above)
BBSRC SWBio DTP Studentships are available for UK home students and international students (maximum 30% of total awarded studentships). If you have (pre-)settled status or indefinite leave to remain in the UK, you will qualify as home student. If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum English requirements for the programme. Detailed information on the programme, all eligibility criteria and the selection process can be found on the SWBio DTP website.
To support accessibility to PhD training opportunities, these studentships are only available to applicants that have not previously obtained or about to obtain a PhD degree (or equivalent).