Crop improvement and drought tolerance: the roots of the solution

Under drought, the crop rooting system, its architecture, size, and activity, determine the capacity of the crop to take up water for growth and yield, underpinning agricultural productivity. Identifying desirable root phenotypes directly in the field would be the short route to help identify and incorporate traits that enhance drought tolerance in breeding programs, and to inform more resilient crop managements.

This PhD project aims to overcome the field phenotyping bottleneck for impactful root traits that limit the capacity of breeders and agronomists to achieve step gains in crop productivity. The successful candidate will develop new high-throughput phenotyping approaches through innovative use of above and below-ground sensing technologies to generate new knowledge on the association between crop root traits and improved yield and yield stability under drought stress. 

This PhD project is an excellent opportunity for a dedicated student to gain skills in crop phenotyping, agronomy, sensing and analytical techniques by working in close collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of experts in proximal and remote sensing, crop eco-physiology, agronomy, crop modelling and breeding. The successful candidate will get real-world experience and develop transferable professional skills through working closely with one of the largest breeding companies i.e., Pioneer Seeds and a digital agriculture company (Airborn Insight).

This is an Earmarked scholarship project that aligns with a recently awarded Australian Government grant.

The scholarship includes:

• living stipend of $35,000 per annum tax free (2024 rate), indexed annually
• your tuition fees covered
• single overseas student health cover (OSHC).

Learn more about the Earmarked scholarship.

You must contact the principal supervisor for this project to discuss your interest. You should only complete the online application after you have reached agreement on supervision.

Always make sure you are approaching your potential supervisor in a professional way. We have provided some guidelines for you on how to contact a supervisor.

You'll be judged on a competitive basis taking into account your:

• academic record
• publication record
• honours and awards
• employment history.

A working knowledge of crop science would be beneficial to someone working on this project.

You'll demonstrate academic achievement in the field(s) of crop phenotyping and crop physiology and the potential for scholastic success.

A background or knowledge of plant phenotyping and crop physiology is highly desirable.

This project requires candidates to commence no later than Research Quarter 4, 2024. To allow time for your application to be processed, we recommend applying no later than 30 June, 2024 31 March, 2024.

You can start in an earlier research quarter. See application dates.

Before you apply

1. Check your eligibility for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
2. Prepare your documentation.
3. Contact Dr Dongxue Zhao (dongxue.zhao@uq.edu.au) to discuss your interest and suitability.

When you apply

You apply for this scholarship when you submit an application for a PhD. You don’t need to submit a separate scholarship application.

In your application ensure that under the ‘Scholarships and collaborative study’ section you select:

• My higher degree is not collaborative
• I am applying for, or have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship
• UQ Earmarked Scholarship type.

Apply now