Hello {{first_name | Robigalia Reader}}, welcome to another week of Robigalia! If you’re new here, Robigalia is your weekly roundup of the latest research, researchers, scholarships, and opportunities in plant pathology globally.
This week, we learn about the impact on photosynthesis between Erwinia psidii resistant and susceptible Eucalyptus clones, and I introduce Angus Bucknell, a PhD student from The Sainsbury Laboratory focusing on novel protein design.
Now, read on the for latest …
Weekly Plant Pathology Highlights
Research Student of the Week
⭐ Meet Angus Bucknell ⭐
This week, we introduce Angus Bucknell, A PhD student in Nick Talbot’s group at The Sainsbury Laboratory.
Angus’ interest in plant pathology began during his Master's research at the University of Birmingham. During his Maters’s, Angus focused on a transposon in the plant fungal pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana, which causes disease on a wide range of cereals. This research bridged the gap from plant genetics to fungal plant pathology for, leading him to apply for a PhD in Nick’s lab.
Now in his PhD, Angus’ research is focusing on novel protein design within the Magnaporthe oryzae pathosystem. This fungus is responsible for the devastating blast disease affecting important crops such as wheat and rice among others. Initially, his PhD project shifted from familiar territory in fungal genetics to the field of protein design. Although he felt apprehensive at first, he has quickly become excited about the new direction his research is taking. Angus’ long-term goal is to use protein design to deepen our understanding of effector proteins and their interactions within host plant cells.
Embracing new challenges can lead to professional growth and unexpected discoveries
To his fellow students, Angus encourage you not to shy away from unfamiliar areas of research. Embracing new challenges can lead to professional growth and unexpected discoveries!
If you want to find out more about Angus’ research, you can reach him via his website or post your questions in the comments.
PhD Scholarships and Jobs
New opportunities below are indicated by two asterisks at the start of the entry **
🌟 If you have a scholarship or job available in your group, fill in this form to have it listed in Robigalia 🌟
PhD/Masters Scholarships
** PhD - New determinants of vine resistance for the development of varieties resistant to fungal diseases, Rosalind Franklin (Apply by 16th May)
PhD: Explore Belowground Plant Interactions for Sustainable Crop Protection, Aarhus University, Denmark (Apply by May 1st)
PhD Opportunity - Unlocking Tomato Resistance to Viral Diseases at Wageningen University & Research
PhD Opportunity - Grapevine Resistance to Fungal Diseases – UMR CNRS 7267 EBI, France
PhD fellowship in Plant-Microbe-Insect Interactions at the The Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Apply for a scholarship at The Sainsbury Laboratory for a one-year taught MSc in Global Plant Health
Jobs
** Crop Protection Manager, GRDC, Perth, Western Australia, (Apply by May 1st)
** Senior Research Scientist within the Field Crops Pathology team to conduct high quality research into the integrated disease management of field crops, VIC, Australia (Closes 1st May)
Postdoctoral fellow to investigate a link between plant disease resistance and primary metabolism, ANU (Closes 4th May)
** Technical Officer (Winter Cereal Pathology), Maranoa Downs, Queensland, Australia (Apply by 8th May)
** Senior Biosecurity Advisor, Kiwifruit Vine Health, Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty (No close date listed)
** Phytopathology Researcher with a specialisation in Fungal bioassays, Ceradis in Wageningen (no close date listed)
** Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the University of Florida (UF) Plant Pathology Department (Closes 15th June)
** Postdoc in Biochemistry and Plant Biology to study the function and interaction of Pathogenesis-Related proteins from plants and pathogens (No close date)
** Join the Potnis Lab in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University as a Research Associate in computational biology (No close date)
Graduate Research Assistantship - Xylella fastidiosa infection in a hybrid microfluidic model of plant-microbe interactions (No close date listed)
Post-Doctoral Associate - epidemiology, molecular characterization, and management of Verticillium dahliae and Colelcotricum coccodes (Open until filled)
Postdoctoral Research Associate – Systemic Immunity and Growth-Defense Trade-offs, Brookhaven National Laboratory (Open until filled)
Research Associate - Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, NC State University (Open until filled)
Research Assistant Professor in mycotoxin fungal biology in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana (Open until position is filled)
The Plant Pathology Department at the University of Florida is advertising for a Assistant or Associate Professor in Plant Pathology (Open until position filled)
Other News and Opportunities
New opportunities below are indicated by two asterisks at the start of the entry **
Submit an abstract, and apply for a travel grant to attend the inaugural Great Lakes Plant Science Conference (GLPSC 2025) at Michigan State University (Apply by April 30th)
Public Policy Board Early Career Internship, APS, Open to US citizens (Apply by May 16)
Attend the Florida Phytopathological Society (FPS) biennial meeting, May 6-8, 2025, at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce, Florida
Register for the 19th FPS Biennial Meeting at the University of Florida - Indian River Research and Education Center May 6-8, 2025
Enter the AIPP-IAAS Italia video award “Plant protection in a minute” V Edition
Register now for the Annual conference of the Oomycete Molecular Genetics Network
Register for Plant Pathology 2025 and Early Careers Plant Pathology 2025, the main annual meetings of the British Society for Plant Pathology
Register for the 20th Congress on Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, in Cologne, Germany
Save the date for the Australasian myrtle rust conference happening 16th - 17th June 2025 in Auckland, NZ
Apply to attend the 17th International Cereal Rusts and Powdery Mildews Conference in Vancouver which offers opportunities for early-career researchers to share their research with the agricultural community
Register for the 8th International Workshop on Resistance Mechanisms and Breeding in forest trees in Canada, June 1-6, 2025
Register for the 25th Australasian Plant Pathology Society conference in Sydney in May 2025.
Submit your abstracts by 31st March for the Congress of the Mediterranean Phytopathological Union happening July 6 - 10th in Italy
Register your interest for the 17th Australasian Plant Breeding Conference in Sydney in June 2025
Meme of the week
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Until next week,
Alyssa