This project will combine theoretical and experimental approaches to investigate the evolution of fungicide resistance, working with the fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. Supported by a supervisory team comprising mathematical modellers and an experimental biologist, the student will develop mathematical models to generate theoretical predictions of resistance evolution, which they will test using experimental evolution and competition assays. The student will generate near-isogenic transformants with combinatorial sets of CYP51 mutations, to quantify the effects of mutations and their epistatic interactions on fungicide resistance and other fitness parameters. The student will then use these fitness parameters in population genetic and epidemiological models to discover viable evolutionary trajectories through the rugged fitness landscape as shaped by selection and stochasticity.

Eligibility 

This studentship will begin in October 2025. The successful candidate should have (or expect to have) an Honours Degree (or equivalent) with a minimum of 2.1 in Plant Science, Applied Statistics, or other related science subjects. Students with an appropriate Masters degree are particularly encouraged to apply.

We welcome UK, EU, and international applicants. Candidates whose first language is not English must provide evidence that their English language is sufficient to meet the specific demands of their study.