44208 - Summer Studentship - Molecular Responses of Kiwifruit to Water Stress - Plant & Food Research

This position is only available to Students in the Hamilton (preferable) or Auckland area due to current COVID restrictions

Aim of project and nature of duties/techniques:

Project aim: to understand the molecular basis of the plant response to abiotic water stress by examining elements of the abscisic abd (ABA) pathway using kiwifruit as a model crop.

Nature of the duties: the position will mostly involve molecular techniques carried out in PC (physical containment) and non-PC laboratories, but there will also be involvement in experimental set-up and/or tissue collection from potted kiwifruit plants grown in a glasshouse at Ruakura, as well as online data mining and manipulation.

Description

Plant & Food Research (PFR) is a New Zealand science company delivering research and development designed to grow competitive advantage for clients in the horticulture, wine, cropping, seafood and associated high value food sectors worldwide.

Our summer studentship programme creates a special "career experience" for high calibre candidates. Our unique programme includes a full induction training day, a career planning session identifying potential pathways, a specific project - designed for you, as well as a final farewell and awards function.

This particular project has the aspirational goal of future-proofing plants to withstand abiotic stresses associated with climate change, as extreme weather events such as drought and flooding are becoming more commonplace. The ABA phytohormone pathway is known to be one of the key coordinators of plant responses to to abiotic stress, but it is highly complex, involving numerous enzymatic reactions and large families of proteins. This is part of the Growing Futures Mokopuna -Science for Tomorrow research programme. Research to date has elcutiated some candiate genes of interest, but this summer studentship will build on the research by looking for differential expression of a larger range of candidate genes and in several kiwifruit cultivars

Duties

Duties will include gene mining, RNA extraction, utilisation of NanoString equipment (and possibly qPCR) to measure gene expression and data analysis of NanoString results using nSolver software.

Criteria for the Position

Pre-requisites: The candidate needs to have a good work ethic, attention to detail, and a passion for scientific research. A basic understanding of molecular biology, as well as some practical lab experience in a molecular biology, biochemistry or pathology laboratory are required. The candidate must receive PC and working with kiwifruit (Psa) laboratory training (provided by PFR) before work can commence. On-site training will also be provided in RNA extraction, gene mining (training will be given for a few days at MARC pending COVID restrictions), and gene measurement and data analysis using NanoString and quantitiative PCR (qPCR) technologies.