Embracing the noise: micro-environmental variability as a means to infer models for plant abiotic stress responses

In order to maintain future food production, there is an urgent need to improve crop resilience to stresses related to climate change. Translation of molecular and physiological understanding of acclimations to abiotic stress into more climate resilient crops is hindered by how dependent these acclimations are on environmental conditions during the stress, limiting the generalisability of experimental findings. Similar limitations constrain the application of stress physiology to ecological models that predict the effect of climate change on wild plants.

Plants are very sensitive to apparently small variations in their environment, a phenomenon that has been considered more of a nuisance than an opportunity. In this project, you will turn environmental variability between plants within an experiment, i.e. microenvironmental variability, into a source of information to study the interaction of drought with many other environmental factors at the same time.

You will run experiments where drought stressed and control wheat and clover plants will experience naturally occurring variations in microenvironment, which will be recorded throughout their life cycle and used to identify relationships between plant stress responses and microenvironmental factors. You will use an array of sensors to continuously record microenvironmental soil and atmospheric conditions at the plant level. This project will provide an unprecedented multi-factorial understanding of drought stress physiology that will support the selection of crops that will perform better under future climate conditions and improve predictions of the effect of climate change on plant communities.

Applicants should have a first or upper second-class honours degree in Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science or similar. The successful candidate needs to be proficient in quantitative data analysis using R. Experience in experimental plant stress physiology and/or plant ecology is desirable.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum English requirements for the programme, IELTS Academic score of 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in each component test area) or equivalent.

The studentship is supported for four years and includes Home or International tuition fees plus a stipend of £20,780 per annum 2025/26 rate (UKRI).

NB: The studentship is supported for four years including a six-month writing-up period. There is no further funding beyond the four-year period.

If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact Anne Plessis (anne.plessis@plymouth.ac.uk).

Please see our apply for a postgraduate research programme page for a list of supporting documents to upload with your application.

For more information on the admissions process generally, please visit our apply for a postgraduate research programme page or contact the Doctoral College . Applications will not be considered if information is missing.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview on 1 May 2025. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications. Applicants who have not received a response within six weeks of the closing date should consider their application unsuccessful on this occasion.