About the Project
University of Liverpool — Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology
Supervisors: Dr J Hartwell, Dr P Walley
Applications accepted all year round. Self-Funded PhD Students Only.
Study for a PhD that will contribute to the development of novel approaches for engineering more climate-resilient crops that can help with the global food security crisis. You will gain skills in generating and analysing 'omics datasets from model plants, genetic transformation of plants, and detailed phenotypic characterisation of mutant plants using molecular biology, biochemistry and whole plant physiology techniques.
The world is getting hotter and drier due to climate change, and the human population is growing rapidly. Furthermore, it has been predicted that we will need to increase crop yields by 50 - 70 % by 2050 in order to feed the predicted 9 - 10 billion people. This extra food production will need to be achieved using the same land and the same or less freshwater relative to the water used by agriculture today. Achieving such dramatic advances in crop productivity to underpin human food security this century is widely regarded as a key global grand challenge that requires ground-breaking, innovative approaches that "think outside the box". Our research aims to leverage a naturally occurring super-charged adaptation of photosynthesis called Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). CAM can enhance plant water use efficiency well beyond that of any of today's major food crop species such as rice, wheat or maize. Our work is establishing the minimal parts list for engineering CAM into C3 crops to enhance water use efficiency and photosynthesis. We pursue this goal through decoding genomes and transcriptomes and undertaking functional genomics research in model CAM species in the genus Kalanchoë. This project will leverage our recent discoveries by exploring the genes involved in CAM using transgenic approaches to switch genes off or on. We seek in particular to understand how the endogenous circadian clock signals to control points in the CAM biochemical pathway to ensure dark and light specific steps happen at the correct time. This PhD will allow the student to make a key contribution to our understanding of the genetic elements associated with CAM and its optimal temporal regulation. The student will also become accomplished in plant transformation and the techniques required for the detailed molecular, biochemical and physiological characterisation of the generated transgenic lines. The lab has active collaborations with research groups in Germany, Switzerland, Australia and Brazil, and students may have the opportunity for research visits to these labs as part of their PhD.
The project is suited to a student with at least an upper second-class B.Sc. Honours Degree in Biological Sciences (students that have specialised in plant biology are particularly encouraged to apply).
Prior to formal application through the University of Liverpool Application Portal, informal enquiries can be made via Dr. James Hartwell: hartwell@liverpool.ac.uk prior to formal application through the University of Liverpool Application Portal.
References
- Pritchard, J.H., Waller, J.L., Gould, P.J.D., Kadu, N., Boxall, S.F., Dever, L.V., Kneřová, J., O'Maoileidigh, D. and Hartwell, J. (2026), A PROMOTER::LUCIFERASE reporter system reveals key elements of the circadian regulation of Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in Kalanchoë laxiflora Baker. Plant Journal, 126: e70937. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70937
- Cheng, X., Lindner, H., Hoffman, L., Filho, A.A.P.G., Duarte, P.R., Boxall, S.F., Gündoğmuş, Y.B., Pritchard, J.P., Haldenby, S., Gemmell, M., Darby, A., Läderach, M., Hartwell J. and Raissig, M.T. (2026) MUTE drives asymmetric divisions to form stomatal subsidiary cells in Crassulaceae succulents. Science Advances, 12: eaeb8145. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeb8145
- Boxall, S.F., Kadu, N., Dever, L.V., Kneřová, J., Waller, J.L., Gould, P.J.D. and Hartwell, J. (2020) Kalanchoë PPC1 is Essential for Crassulacean Acid Metabolism and the Regulation of Core Circadian Clock and Guard Cell Signalling Genes. The Plant Cell, 32, 1136 – 1160. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00481
- Boxall, S.F., Dever, L.V., Kneřová, J., Gould, P.J.D. and Hartwell, J. (2017) Phosphorylation of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase Is Essential for Maximal and Sustained Dark CO2 Fixation and Core Circadian Clock Operation in the Obligate Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Species Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi. The Plant Cell 29, 2519-2536. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00301
- Hartwell, J., Dever, L.V., and Boxall, S.F. (2016) Emerging model systems for functional genomics analysis of Crassulacean acid metabolism. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 31, 100-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2016.03.019