Fully-funded Ph.D. position at University of Southern Queensland

The University of Southern Queensland announced a Ph.D. project entitled, “Linking land management with fungal diversity, plant growth, and nutrient uptake” under the guidance of Dr. Adam Frew. This project is part of a project funded by the Australian Research Council. This project will combine field sampling surveys with glasshouse experiments to address the knowledge gaps. This will determine how conventional and organic crop management shape the AM fungal communities in field sites across eastern Australia. The project will establish how AM fungal diversity and community composition, driven by these farming approaches, differentially affect plant outcomes (growth, nutrient status, defense mechanisms). The Ph.D. candidate will have a unique opportunity to learn and apply a wide range of ecological and experimental techniques and technologies. They will share their research through publications, conference participation, and connecting with world-class collaborators from a range of disciplines. The Ph.D. candidate will conduct field sampling across sites and, using a DNA metabarcoding approach, will identify and characterize AM fungal communities. Using manipulative glasshouse experiments the candidate will investigate how AM fungal diversity and community composition affect crop growth, nutrient status, and defense chemistry.