Projects
Use Physics to Solve Biology's Toughest Challenge!
Student intake
Open for Bachelor, Honours, PhD students
Status
Current
People
- Barry Pogson, Principal investigator
- Marten Moore, Researcher
Crack the Code of Cellular Import/Export Systems!
Student intake
Open for Bachelor, Honours, PhD students
Status
Current
People
- Barry Pogson, Principal investigator
- Marten Moore, Researcher
Solve the Bottleneck That Slows Down All Plant Biotechnology!
Student intake
Open for Bachelor, Honours, PhD students
Status
Current
People
- Barry Pogson, Principal investigator
- Marten Moore, Researcher
We are studying interrelationships between salinity tolerance and the functional coordination of plant hydraulics, leaf morphology and gas exchange characteristics in mangroves.
Theme
- Plant environmental biology and functional ecology
Details of projects for Honours and PhD students are not advertised on this public website. However, a number of highly suitable projects are always available, so if you are interested in any area mentioned above please phone or email for a discussion on designing a challenging project that suits your interests.
Theme
- Plant genetics and gene regulation
- Plant environmental biology and functional ecology
- Phylogenetics, population genetics and biodiversity
- Photosynthesis and plant energy biology
- Membrane transporters and channels
- Evolutionary genetics and genomics
- Bioinformatics and bio-mathematical modelling
We have recently shown that S. nodorum produces proteins (knownn as effectors) that have a significant role in causing disease.
Theme
- Plant-microbe interactions
- Bioinformatics and bio-mathematical modelling
Student intake
Open for Bachelor, Honours, Master, PhD students
Status
Current
People
- Peter Solomon, Supervisor
This project uses a synthetic biology strategy to engineer disease resistance in crops to dangerous fungal pathogens.
Theme
- Host-microbe biology
- Plant-microbe interactions
Student intake
Open for Bachelor, Honours, Master, PhD students
Status
Current
People
- John Rathjen, Supervisor
- Simon Williams, Supervisor
This project uses in vitro protein evolution and a novel Rubisco-dependent-E. coli selection system to bioengineer mutant forms of RuBisCO with improvements in catalysis and holoenzyme biogenesis.
Theme
- Photosynthesis and plant energy biology
The molecular basis for plant susceptibility and immunity to Fusarium wilt disease
Theme
- Host-microbe biology
- Plant-microbe interactions
Student intake
Open for Bachelor, Honours, PhD students
Status
Current
People
- David Jones, Collaborator
- Simon Williams, Supervisor
Understanding the role and function of post translational protein modifications in chloroplasts using the model protein Rubisco.
Theme
- Photosynthesis and plant energy biology
- Plant environmental biology and functional ecology
From our interactome capture project we envision that we will isolate many proteins that we previously not known to bind RNA.
Theme
- Plant genetics and gene regulation
Society relies on mathematical descriptions of climate change, weather forecasting, crop performance, and other processes in which the control of carbon uptake and water loss by plants forms a basic element.
Theme
- Plant environmental biology and functional ecology
Determine the virulence function of effectors from flax rust and wheat stem rust
Theme
- Photosynthesis and plant energy biology
- Plant-microbe interactions
Student intake
Open for Bachelor, Honours, PhD students
Status
Current
People
- Megan Outram, Supervisor
- Simon Williams, Supervisor
The architecture of the root system is integral for plant productivity as the spatial deployment of roots will substantially determine the ability of the plant to exploit nutrient sources.
Theme
- Plant genetics and gene regulation
- Plant-microbe interactions
Student intake
Open for Bachelor, Honours, PhD students
Status
Current
People
- Michael Djordjevic, Supervisor
Are you interested in cutting-edge plant biology and biotechnology? Join our research team to investigate how plants rapidly communicate during stress!
Student intake
Open for Bachelor, Honours, PhD students
Status
Current
People
- Barry Pogson, Principal investigator
- Marten Moore, Researcher
Nitrogen fertiliser is indispensable for agricultural productivity, but crops are inefficient at utilising fertiliser for grain production.
Theme
- Plant genetics and gene regulation
Student intake
Open for Honours, Master, PhD students
Status
Current
People
- Michael Djordjevic, Collaborator
- Michael Taleski, Principal investigator
- Ulrike Mathesius, Collaborator
Many of the algae forming symbiotic associations with coral reef organisms have unique forms of Rubisco which we know very little about.
Theme
- Photosynthesis and plant energy biology
Transient gene expression via agroinfiltration of tobacco leaves has been used to study the interaction between many different resistance (R) proteins and their cognate avirulence (Avr) proteins. In this assay system, R protein activation and downstream signalling results in leaf necrosis.
Theme
- Plant-microbe interactions
- Host-microbe biology
One of the biggest challenges of the 21st century is to feed an increasing world population of up to 9 billion people. Wheat is the most widely grown crop in the world and together with rice provides over 60% of all calories consumed world-wide. Wheat is the major crop in Australia and contributes 5% towards worldwide production. However we could do even better if harvest loss due to pathogen epidemics were reduced.
Theme
- Host-microbe biology
- Plant genetics and gene regulation
- Plant-microbe interactions
Student intake
Open for Bachelor, Honours, Master, PhD students
Status
Current
People
- Benjamin Schwessinger , Supervisor
- John Rathjen, Supervisor