About the Project

Plants living on land face brutal threats from pests, dehydration and temperature. To survive and thrive, land plants evolved a waxy ‘cuticle’ and distinctive epidermal cells such as gas pores and defensive barbs. Further changes to the epidermis help cereal performance on arid grasslands and play important roles in climate resiliency. However, we understand little about how plants, including cereals, coordinate multiple innovations on the epidermis into a coherent surface.

Excitingly, we recently discovered a core patterning pathway controlling epidermal development in cereals (1). In this project, the student will advance these findings using state of the art biochemical and molecular approaches to find out how the pathway components interact and respond to environmental change. This project will appeal to students keen to explore plant science from molecule to field, and to contribute to crop improvement and food security. In this project, the student will learn the latest molecular biology, cereal physiology and development and protein biochemistry methods.

The student will be based in the McKim lab, a dynamic, productive and supportive research group studying cereal development, which is based at the James Hutton Institute (JHI), a global leader in cereal genetics and genomics, and part of the International Barley Hub (https://www.barleyhub.org/), a £62 million investment in cereal research. The student will participate in training offered both by University of Dundee and JHI, and join a cohort of next-generation cereal scientists. We warmly welcome students from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Please feel free to contact me to discuss any aspects of the project.

Our research community thrives on the diversity of students and staff which helps to make the University of Dundee a UK university of choice for postgraduate research. We welcome applications from all talented individuals and are committed to widening access to those who have the ability and potential to benefit from higher education.

Please see our website for further details on the programme and how to apply:

Life Sciences MSc by Research MSc by Research (Postgraduate) : Study : University of Dundee

Please note before submitting your application that you must list your top three project choices in the Research Proposal section of the application form.

When you complete your application form, you should include your top 3 project choices, 2 letters of reference, uploaded under "Other Information" > "Supporting documents" and a personal statement. Failure to do so will delay your application.

Please note when submitting an application, please note our intake deadlines on the ‘how to apply’ section of our website.

References

Liu et al (2022) Conserved signalling components coordinate epidermal patterning and cuticle deposition in barley. Nat Commun. 2022 Oct 13;13(1):6050. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-33300-1 https://rdcu.be/cZJHd

MSc by Research: The forward facing path: epidermal development in cereals

University of Dundee

Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4HN, UK