Come join the Plant Pathology Department at Kansas State University to pursue a MS or PhD graduate degree
The department has multiple open positions for students interested in starting graduate school in Fall 2023. The positions cover a wide range of plant and microbial biology, and students could have the opportunity to work on projects related to virology, mycology, and plant disease resistance, and gain skills in genetics, molecular biology, confocal and TEM microscopy, biotechnology, and genomics and bioinformatics related to plant and microbe interactions. Rotation options are available.
Specific opportunities
The Nouri lab is recruiting two PhD graduate students interested in studying plant-virus interactions and virus evolution. One successful candidate will study the interaction between wheat wild relatives such as Aegilops tauschii and wheat viruses to understand the molecular mechanisms of plant tolerance to viral infection. The other successful candidate will study the molecular and cellular interactions between a newly identified subviral RNA and the hosts wheat and Nicotiana benthamiana. For more information, please contact Dr. Shahideh Nouri (shahidehnr@ksu.edu).
The Toomajian lab is recruiting two graduate students to work on a fungal genetics project mapping the genetic basis of natural variation in fungal pathogen traits (e.g., mycotoxin levels, fungicide resistance) in laboratory and greenhouse experiments using Fusarium graminearum samples. The project involves microbiology, DNA sequencing, and whole genome computation. For more information, please contact Dr. Chris Toomajian (toomajia@ksu.edu).
The Liu lab is recruiting a PhD graduate student interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of plant diseases and host-pathogen interactions. The selected student will receive broad training in plant biology; genomics; molecular plant-microbe interactions. For more information, please contact Dr. Sanzhen Liu (liu3zhen@ksu.edu).
The Cook lab is recruiting a graduate student to work on DNA repair mechanisms and consequences in the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. The project involves functional genomics, screening, and bioinformatics. For more information, please contact Dr. David E. Cook (decook@ksu.edu).
Please visit the department website to learn more:
https://www.plantpath.k-state.edu/graduate/index.html
Apply by December 10th for full consideration.