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The Farrona lab (http://www.farronalab.org/) is seeking two PhD students that will be fully
funded to study the role of chromatin-related proteins in the regulation of plant
development. We are looking for highly motivated researchers with a strong interest in
interdisciplinary projects.
PhD Student requirements
Applicants must have a completed a MSc degree (or equivalent) in plant biology, genetics, molecular
biology or related fields. Good knowledge and practical expertise of standard molecular biology
techniques as well as hands on experience with plant development is desired. Additional knowledge
in epigenetics and chromatin techniques will be also considered. Experience in sequencing data
analysis will be considered. The candidates should also have good written and verbal scientific
communication skills. The successful candidates will be enrolled in the structure AgriBiosciences PhD
programme (fees and living allowance stipend included).
Our Research
In a world threatened by climate change, plants face a major challenge to adapt to environmental
stress. In addition, seeds are cornerstones of novel sustainable agricultural strategies to secure
animal and human food. Therefore, this project aims to investigate how specific sets of proteins that
regulate development have aided plants to thrive in new environments throughout evolution, which
will contribute to discover novel breeding tools to enhance plant fitness and survival. Furthermore,
their roles in seed development and germination will be investigated with the goal to identify genetic
and biochemical features link to a tighter control of these key agricultural traits.
Our University
National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway) is a research and top-quality teaching university
that attracts over 17,000 students and has a large international community. The university is located
in Galway, a vibrant Irish city regarded as the cultural capital of the country. Our lab is part of the
Plant and Agricultural Biosciences Centre (PABC), Ryan Institute which is an inter-disciplinary
research cluster focused on plant research and innovation. For more information, please see