Summary
| Enrolment status | New students |
|---|---|
| Student type | Domestic students |
| Level of study | Higher Degree by Research |
| Study area | Agriculture and Environment |
| HDR funding type | Living stipend scholarship |
| Scholarship value | $28,092 per annum (2020 rate), indexed annually |
| Scholarship duration | Three years with the possibility of two 6-month extensions in approved circumstances |
| Opening date | 9 November 2020 |
| Closing date | 31 January 2021 |
Description
Overall Research Project
The Hy-Gain project (Hy-Gain), funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is a multi-party international research project comprising seven world leading teams aiming to develop a novel technology to increase seed yield and productivity in sorghum and cowpea crops for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. This exciting 5-year project, is led by QAAFI with the project director, Prof Anna Koltunow, based in the Centre for Crop Science. Hy-Gain aims to ensure the technology is compatible with plant breeding to support the future, rapid delivery of new high yielding sorghum and cowpea hybrids and improved varieties. Hy-Gain involves research work at multiple sites in Queensland (Hermitage at Warwick; Gatton and St. Lucia) and collaboration with five international research organisations and a multinational seed company. The project has some fundamental discovery work, however its key aim is building and testing the utility of the technology in plants under controlled glasshouse and field conditions with evaluations involving input from African sorghum and cowpea breeders. The research objectives span molecular work in the laboratory to field work involving genetic, genomic and transgenic technologies and testing reproductive productivity of plants in glasshouse and in the field. Communication and collaboration between the parties to efficiently achieve goals, protection of discoveries, dissemination of data to the public via scientific publications and web-based media are important outcomes of the project.
PhD Scholarship Project
The formation of the female gametophyte is a regulated sequential process in plants. Meiosis, cell death and mitosis are involved in the elaboration of this important structure, the progenitor of the seed. Previous work has led to the development of a set of female cell-type specific transcriptomes via laser capture microdissection. This has identified a suite of genes for further functional analyses. This project will involve the characterization of a repertoire of genes with the opportunity to examine their functions in transgenic plants. The genes under examination would involve those that impact on pre-fertilization gametophyte development and post fertilization seed initiation. The latter is of particular interest for legume seed yield and quality. This PhD is based at St Lucia, Brisbane.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you must meet the entry requirements for a higher degree by research.
Before you get started
If this scholarship has rules, download and read them.
How to apply
To apply for admission and scholarship, follow the link on the upper right of this page. There is no separate application for scholarship because you will have the opportunity to request scholarship consideration on the application for admission.
Before submitting an application you should:
- check your eligibility
- prepare your documentation
- contact Associate Professor Brett Ferguson (b.ferguson1@uq.edu.au) to discuss your suitability for this scholarship
When you apply, please ensure that under the scholarships and collaborative study section you:
- Select ‘My higher degree is not collaborative’
- Select 'I am applying for, or have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship'.
- Select ‘Other’, then ‘Research Project Scholarship’ and type in ‘COWPEA' in the 'Name of scholarship' field.
See an example of what you have to do
Learn more about applying for a higher degree by research at UQ
Terms and conditions
Read the policy on UQ Research Scholarships.
A domestic part-time student with carer’s responsibilities, a medical condition or a disability, which prevents them from studying full time may be eligible for scholarship consideration, on a case by case basis.