Check out this exciting UC PhD Scholarship “Applying novel mass spectrometry (REIMS) to detect insect biosecurity threats“.
Kkmurray, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
You will have a first class honours or Masters degree in biology or chemistry and demonstrated competence in statistical analysis
If you have prior experience using mass spectrometry, competence in multivariate analysis and/or machine learning and an interest in entomology, that would be ideal.
You will be working at New Zealand’s only Rapid Evaporative Ionisation Spectrometry (REIMS) facility. REIMS is an novel mass spectrometry interface that is used to check the provenance of food. Within seconds, a metabolic fingerprint classifies a sample.
You will apply REIMS to plant health biosecurity. An effective biosecurity system is crucial to protect New
Zealand’s primary production base and unique environment. A particularly difficult challenge is the rapid
identification of insect threats, especially where endemic species look similar to unwanted pest species. With the habitat range of pest insects changing with climate change and trade patterns, rapid
detection is crucial to inform biosecurity response operations.
Supervised by Assoc. Prof. Steve Pawson, UCBI, Assoc. Prof. Alastair Ross, AgResearch, Dr Karen Armstrong, Lincoln University and supported by Better Border Biosecurity (B3).
28K + fees per annum for 3 years, applications close 31 Jan 2023.
Check out our scholarships and projects on https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/biosecurity-innovations/scholarships-and-projects/.
Find out more and get in touch!
