MSc by Research in Biology - Energy-efficient greenhouses for UK food security (Plant Chronobiology Hub)

About the Project

Primary Supervisor: Dr Daphne Ezer

Co-supervisors: Dr Sven Batke and Prof Seth Davis

Greenhouses offer the UK a way to produce fresh fruit and vegetables that are usually ill-adapted to the UK climate, therefore improving UK food security. However, up to half of a greenhouse's operational costs are spent on heating, which make them vulnerable to volatility in the energy markets. We have developed a strategy which we think will reduce the heating requirements in greenhouses. We are seeking an MSc by Research student who will develop simple models and collect plant science data to assess how effective our strategy will be. For example, you will need to model how our system would impact greenhouse operational costs across the different weather conditions across the UK and considering fluctuating energy prices. Moreover, plants have different temperature needs across different temporal scales (night-time vs daytime temperatures; different temperature requirements over development). You will collect data that will help us find an appropriate balance between energy-costs and plant preferences.

This project is part of the University of York's new Plant Chronobiology Hub that investigates how plants sense and respond to environmental signals over time. This hub brings together experts in computational biology, microscopy, molecular genetics/genomics, and plant physiology. We are seeking a cohort of MSc by Research students who each have their own projects, but also collaborate with one another to develop interdisciplinary perspectives and expand their skill sets.

You will:

• Learn diverse experimental and computational skills in plant chronobiology
• Develop a model of energy-usage and costs in greenhouses across the UK (chapter 1)
• Collect plant physiology data to develop precision temperature schedules (chapter 2)
• Collaborate across the MSc cohort to hopefully contribute to multiple research outputs.

Entry Requirements: Students with, or expecting to gain, at least an upper second class honours degree, or equivalent, are invited to apply.

Programme: MSc by Research in Biology (1 year)

Start Date: 21 September 2026