Plasticity in pre-and post-flowering resource allocation: which breeding strategy for which environment?

Global food security depends on developing crops that can thrive in our changing climate. This exciting PhD project sits at the cutting edge of crop science, addressing one of agriculture's most pressing challenges: how to breed wheat that maintains high yield while withstanding heatwaves, drought, and environmental variability.

The Research Challenge
You'll investigate a fascinating plant trade-off: how wheat allocates resources between pre- and post-flowering stages under different environmental conditions. Terminal drought and heat stress affect wheat crops across Australia and France, yet we lack clear guidance on optimal plant architecture for these challenging environments.
Your research will disentangle the complex interactions among critical traits including tillering capacity, stem reserve dynamics, and leaf senescence to determine when each provides advantages or disadvantages. This knowledge will directly inform breeding strategies for climate-adapted wheat varieties.

What You'll Do:

• Design and conduct field trials at UQ's Gatton Crops Research Unit and controlled-environment experiments in the Plant Futures Facility at St Lucia
• Develop innovative Near-Infrared (NIR) screening methods for high-throughput phenotyping
• Analyse large-scale datasets from multi-environment trials across Australia and France
• Apply crop modelling to predict trait performance across Australian production environments
• Collaborate with an international team of crop physiologists, geneticists, and modellers

Why This Opportunity Stands Out
This PhD offers a unique research environment. You will be embedded within an International Associated Laboratory (IAL) linking UQ, INRAE (France's national institute for agriculture, food and environment), and Université Clermont-Auvergne. You'll work closely with a dedicated multi-disciplinary team of supervisors, access UQ's world-class facilities, and can undertake a work placement in France, gaining truly international research experience.
You'll develop highly sought-after skills in crop ecophysiology, high-throughput phenotyping, and predictive modelling, while contributing to research with immediate real-world impact.

You'll be based at UQ's Gatton Campus, home to Australia's leading agricultural research which is an ideal location for hands-on field research. You will also be able to conduct research at UQ’s St Lucia campus in the Plant Futures Facility. This will provide you with the best of both worlds: immersive access to field sites and research infrastructure at Gatton and St Lucia plus opportunities to engage with the broader UQ research community, attend seminars across both locations.

This project is supported by the Research project scholarship.

Learn more about the Research project scholarship.

Your application will be assessed on a competitive basis.

We take into account your:

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

A working knowledge of plant science would be of benefit to someone working on this project.

You will demonstrate academic achievement in the fields of plant/crop physiology and the potential for scholastic success.

A background or knowledge of crop physiology, crop modelling, statistics and genetics is highly desirable.

You must submit an expression of interest (EOI) by 24 January, 2026 24 January, 2026.

Before you apply

1. Check your eligibility for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
2. Prepare your documentation.
3. If you have any questions about whether the project is suitable for your research interests, contact Professor Karine Chenu (karine.chenu@uq.edu.au).

When you apply

To apply, submit an expression of interest (EOI) for the program. You don't need to apply separately for the project or scholarship. How to submit an EOI

In your EOI, complete the ‘Scholarship/Sponsorship’ section with the following details:

1. Are you applying for an advertised project: 'Yes'
2. Project: 'Research project scholarship'
3. Scholarship Code Listed in the Advertisement: PLASTICITY-CHENU
4. Link to Scholarship Advertisement: https://study.uq.edu.au/study-options/phd-mphil-professional-doctorate/projects/plasticity-pre-and-post-flowering-resource-allocation-which-breeding-strategy-which-environment

Submit an EOI