Apply for this PhD scholarship 28K plus fees pa for 3 years.
Novel mass spectroscopy for detection of insect biosecurity threats
Ideally you will have
- a first-class Honours or Master’s degree in biology or chemistry
skills in mass spectrometry - an interest in entomology
- demonstrated competence in statistical analysis
- experience with multivariate data analysis and/or machine learning
Rapid Evaporative Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (REIMS) has been used to “fingerprint” food but has yet to be applied to detect biosecurity threats to plants. A particularly difficult challenge is the rapid id of insect pests, especially when endemic species look similar.
You will focus on foundational work, develop and validate REIMS ability to detect insect biosecurity threats, classify samples and quantify limitations, e.g., influence of sample age and storage.
You will work in New Zealand’s only REIM facility, work collaboratively at AgResearch, as well as at Lincoln University and at Canterbury University, where you will gain excellent opportunities for networking.
This scholarship is supported through a Better Border Biosecurity programme (www.b3nz.org.nz) collaboration between the University of Canterbury’s Biosecurity Innovation Research Cluster (UCBI), AgResearch and Lincoln University.
Your supervisors will be Assoc. Prof Steve Pawson (UC School of Forestry, Director UC Biosecurity Innovations), Assoc. Prof. Alastair Ross (AgResearch) and Dr Karen Armstrong (Lincoln University).
Find out more and get in touch!