The domestication of certain plant species by humans thousands of years ago is intertwined with the establishment of agricultural systems and civilisations. The plant species that were domesticated were selected to some extent by chance and circumstance. Modern agriculture harnesses the inherent vigour of hybrid plants to ensure productive crops that are robust to abiotic and biotic stresses. The simultaneous engineering of trait and reproductive pathways to develop novel hybrid species with excellent agronomic characters by design is a promising yet underexplored area of plant breeding research.

In this PhD project, you will combine genetics, genomics and genome engineering to understand the fundamental pathways of plant reproduction. You will contribute to the development of innovative plant breeding technologies that will shape the future of agriculture. You will combine laboratory work with computational data analysis and collaborate with international partners on ground-...