PhD Studentship: Deciphering Critical Regulators in Wheat Rust Immunity

Overview

The John Innes Centre at the University of East Anglia offers a four-year PhD studentship titled Deciphering Critical Regulators in Wheat Rust Immunity, awarded through the Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD DTP. The research project focuses on elucidating how branched chain amino acid availability activates salicylic acid-mediated defense and modulates metabolic signaling in plants, specifically investigating bread wheat infection by the yellow rust pathogen. The successful candidate will join the Saunders Lab at the John Innes Centre to gain skills in plant pathology, wheat genetics, molecular biology, and bioinformatics. The study begins on 1 October 2027.

Requirements

Applicants must hold at least a UK equivalent Bachelors Honours 2:1 degree. Candidates must also meet the English Language requirement, which corresponds to the Faculty of Science equivalent of IELTS 6.5 overall with 6 in each category.

What you get

The studentship provides coverage of tuition fees paid directly to the university, a living expenses stipend at the 2026/27 rate of £21,805 per annum, and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per annum for each year of the program.

Key dates

The application closing date is 30 November 2026. The study start date is 1 October 2027.