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Life at Earlham Institute
We believe that our people are our greatest asset, and we want you to have the freedom to achieve your very best work here.
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 with Prof Anthony Hall at the Earlham Institute and Dr Simon Griffiths at 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 science.
Apply now and grow the future of sustainable agriculture.
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.
- Apply by 23:59 on 14 May 2025
- Start date: 01 October 2025 or 01 February 2026
- Visit the UEA website for further information on eligibility, funding and how to apply: https://www.uea.ac.uk/apply/postgraduate/research
- You can also visit: http://www.earlham.ac.uk/application-guidance
