Optimising Crop Photosynthesis in Protected Systems

About the Project

The ARC Training Centre for Smart & Sustainable Horticulture is offering two research scholarships to highly motivated PhD candidates to work within a research group addressing the key challenge of optimising the yield and quality of horticultural crops (e.g., vanilla, tomato and snacking capsicum) grown in protected facilities at the Hawkesbury Campus of Western Sydney University.

This project will appoint two HDR students as part of the ARC Training Centre for Smart & Sustainable Horticulture collaboration between industry and research institutions to develop new cropping opportunities for the protected cropping industry. The project will contribute to the education and training of students and personnel for the protected cropping industry.

This project aims to screen crop varieties for optimal performance in protected cropping environments. The project will involve the combination of physiological (gas-exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence), biochemical (enzymes and metabolites) and molecular (gene expression) measurements on selected varieties to generate a full understanding of crop photosynthesis, growth and produce quality (nutritional content). The project will determine how crops respond to changes in environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, carbon dioxide, lighting). Ultimately, these findings will guide the selection of appropriate varieties that are optimised for a defined set of environmental conditions from low to medium / high technology cropping scenarios for optimal photosynthesis for plant growth. This project is a collaboration between the ARC Training Centre for Smart & Sustainable Horticulture (TC-SaSH) and University of Adelaide (UoA).

The project will be conducted at the Western Sydney University node of the TC-SaSH on the Hawkesbury Campus, University of Adelaide and University of Western Australia. The project is led by Associate Professor Robert Sharwood and Professor Oula Ghannoum, supported by a team of plant physiologists at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment (HIE), Professor Zhonghua Chen at the University of Adelaide and Distinguished Professor Sergey Shabala at University of Western Australia. HIE is a research institute within WSU and has rapidly become a research leader in plant environmental and ecological research, with a strong reputation for delivering research outcomes of the highest quality. This research will uncover the novel germplasm for high-level production inside a protected environment.

What does the scholarship provide?

• Domestic candidates will receive a tax-free stipend of $37,000 (AUD) per annum for up to 3 years to support living costs, supported by the Research Training Program (RTP) Fee Offset.
• Support for conference attendance, fieldwork and additional costs as approved by the institute.

Eligibility Criteria

We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds, who are keen to apply their skills to key issues in crop physiology in protected facilities. In particular, the project is suitable for candidates with strong interests in photosynthesis and using state-of-the-art equipment to assess parameters that influence carbon assimilation.

The successful applicant should:

• Hold qualifications and experience equal to one of the following (i) an Australian First Class Bachelor (Honours) degree, (ii) coursework master’s with at least 25% research component, (iii) Research Master's degree, or (iv) equivalent overseas qualifications.
• Demonstrate strong academic performance in subjects relevant to crop photosynthesis, including leaf gas-exchange, biochemistry (assays of enzymes and metabolites), and/or molecular biology (gene expression).
• Demonstrate experience with advanced statistical methods and data-set analysis using statistical software packages (e.g. R).
• Have good oral and written communication skills and be highly motivated to progress research in a timely manner.

International applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency.

Lead Researcher: Professor Oula Ghannoum

Applications close: 31 May 2026

PS2026_030_CS0815136_HIE