Uncovering Genetic Drivers of Gene Expression in Elite Wheat Varieties (HALL_E25JIF-EI)
Key Details
- Application deadline
- 14/05/2025
- Location
- Earlham Institute
- Funding type
- Advertised Funded Project
- Start date
- 01/10/2025 or 01/02/2026
- Mode of study
- Full Time
- Programme type
- PhD
Project description
Project Supervisor - Professor Anthony Hall
Are you a motivated undergraduate with a passion for genetics, genomics and plant science? Would you like to be at the cutting edge of agricultural research, working to secure the future of wheat breeding in the face of climate change and food insecurity?
We’re offering an exciting PhD opportunity at the Earlham Institute and the John Innes Centre, in collaboration with wheat breeding companies. This studentship is fully funded and aims to investigate how genetic variation influences the expression of “elite” wheat genes crucial for traits like stress tolerance, yield and flowering time.
You’ll explore gene expression diversity using a unique pantranscriptomic dataset from over 100 wheat lines, and apply advanced techniques such as eQTL mapping, methylation analysis, promoter studies and copy number variation. You’ll also validate your findings using cutting-edge molecular biology approaches on wheat breeding lines.
This project offers:
• Comprehensive training in bioinformatics, wheat genomics, coding (Python, R), and molecular biology
• Hands-on experience in both academic and commercial environments
• Opportunities to present your work at international conferences and industry symposia
• A vibrant, supportive research environment with excellent career progression—our past students have gone on to become biotech CEOs, group leaders, and research scientists
This is your chance to make a tangible impact on future food security, gain invaluable interdisciplinary skills, and contribute to world-leading crop sc
Apply now and grow the future of sustainable agriculture.
For further information and to apply, please visit our website: http://www.earlham.ac.uk/application-guidance
Start date: 1st October 2025 or 1st February 2026
Entry requirements
At least UK equivalence Bachelors (Honours) 2:1 or UK equivalence Masters degree. English Language requirement (Faculty of Science equivalent: IELTS 6.5 overall, 6 in each category)
Funding
This project is awarded with a 4-year fully funded joint John Innes Foundation and Earlham Institute PhD Studentship. Tuition fees are covered, and a stipend will be provided for each year of the studentship (2025/6 rate is £20,780.00). Research training support funding is available.