Master by Research student opportunity
Our group at RMIT School of Science along with Skybury Farms and other Australian papaya growers are starting R&D project on 'Better understanding of papaya phytophthora rot'
Papaya Phytophthora rot leads to significant economic losses, impacting growers and consumers alike. Traditional management methods, including cultural practices and fungicide use, often fall short in curbing the disease's spread and its subsequent damage.
In the proposed project, we will build onto the existing partnership between RMIT and Skybury Farms to develop an integrated solution for effective management of phytophthora. To enable development of a sustainable phytophthora management strategy, we will consult with key stakeholders from Australian and global papaya industry including researchers from previous Hort Innovation funded projects. A comprehensive gap analysis of papaya phytophthora management will be followed by development of high-throughput method to quantify soil fungal load and genomic analysis to identify potential targets for effective disease management.
You will work alongside industry experts and leading papaya growers in Australia to develop solutions that will directly benefit Australian papaya industry.
We are inviting Expression of Interest from potential Master by Research candidates with experience and interest in molecular plant pathology. Interested candidates please email your detailed CV with relevant research experience and publications to nitin.mantri@rmit.edu.au. Applications will close by 15th November 2024.
