The High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre has, with the support of the ACT Government, established scholarship program to foster novel plant phenomics research and now invites applications from suitably qualified applicants.
Are you:

• Pursuing or planning to start a PhD (or other post-bachelor qualification) in plant biology?
• Interested in contributing to the understanding of gene expression?
• Interested in accessing cutting-edge research facilities?
• Seeking extra funding?

The top-up scholarships are intended primarily to supplement the funding of primary scholarship holders, allowing them to conduct innovative research that will explore how new phenomics technologies make a contribution to understanding plant form and function. The scholarships are each valued at $5000 per annum and may be held for up to for three years. Candidates wishing to use the HRPPC's equipment for only part of their course of research may apply for an award for a shorter period.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to review the HRPPC's website prior to applying. A number of priority areas have been identified by the Centre (see below) but other projects will be considered on their merits.

Successful applicants can be enrolled at any Australian university, but must undertake experimental research in the new CSIRO and/or ANU labs in Canberra, using cutting-edge phenomics techniques and imaging tools.

The HRPPC is the Canberra node of the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility, a collaboration with the University of Adelaide, ANU, the ACT government and the Commonwealth government's National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Scheme.

The HRPPC has identified a number of priority research areas, each reflecting a global challenge and the role that advances in plant biology can play in a solution:

• The use of C4 plants as biofuel feedstocks;
• Abiotic stress / drought tolerance in cereals;
• Photosynthesis, climate change and crop yield;
• Bioinformatics - data mining to identify positive traits in plant populations;
• Application of robotic vision to plant phenotyping;
• Application of image analysis techniques to understanding plant form and function.

For more information on the HRPPC, go to The High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre.

Scholarships target primarily PhD candidates, but honours degree students will also be considered for a one-year award, on their merits.

Further Information:

Top Up Scholarships - Conditions of Award
PhD Top Up Scholarship - Application Form 2009
Honours Scholarship - Application Form 2009