Fwd: Fw: PhD opportunities in Cassava whitefly

[Nancy Nandudu]

Dear all,

The opportunity below is FYI. Please circulate among your networks as well in case you know of interested persons.

Kind regards,

Nancy Nandudu

Information and Public Relations Officer

Africa Innovations Institute

Plot 78, Old Kira Road

P.O.Box 34981 Kampala Uganda

Tel: +256 414 530288

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URL: www.afrii.org

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On Wednesday, January 28, 2015 11:23 PM, Andrew Westby <A.We...@greenwich.ac.uk> wrote:

Upcoming MSc and PhD Studentship opportunities on the
Cassava Whitefly Project
Since the 1990s, there has been an unprecedented increase in the abundance of cassava whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) in the cassava growing regions of East and Central Africa, which has in turn increased the spread of Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) and Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD), though the factors responsible for increased whitefly abundance remain uncertain. The previous lack of research into the whitefly vector component of pandemic spread is arguably the main reason why a lasting solution has remained elusive.
The Natural Resources Institute (NRI), University of Greenwich, United Kingdom, was awarded a major grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the Cassava Whitefly Project, which aims to provide a rigorous understanding of the causes of super-abundant cassava whitefly populations in East and Central Africa and thereby create the foundations for future, durable-control solutions.
Two MSc and eight PhD studentship opportunities will soon become available and will be attached to specific project objectives. The areas of research that the studentships will focus on are:
MSc 1 & 2: Whitefly resistance in virus disease-resistant cassava genotypes
PhD 1: Whitefly, B. tabaci, systematics and rates of evolution
PhD 2: Determination of biological species boundaries of African cassava whitefly PhD 3: Fitness (reproduction and stage-specific survival) of whitefly species
PhD 4: Impact of host plant and parasitism on the whitefly
PhD 5: Assessment of African cassava landraces with whitefly resistance
PhD 6: Whitefly resistance genes in wild cassava and Latin American genotypes
PhD 7: Cassava utilisation interference using detoxification genes
PhD 8: Cassava utilisation interference using dehydration and symbiont genes
We are particularly interested in hearing from outstanding young East African nationals from Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda with good Bachelor of Science degrees in the fields of agriculture, entomology, genetics/molecular biology and virology. A language proficiency score of at least IELTS 6.5 (in all elements of the test) or TOEFL 100 iBT (600 PBT) will be required in order to take up the PhD scholarships, unless the Bachelor of Science degree was taught in English and obtained in a majority English speaking country, e.g. Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA, etc, as recognised by the UK Border Agency (UKBA). Successful candidates will register in universities in Africa, Australia, Spain and the UK, depending on the area of research and activity leadership. Appropriately qualified women are particularly encouraged to express their interest in this project.
For further information please contact Dr Peter Sseruwagi, the African Team Project Manager by email at psser...@yahoo.co.uk.




Professor Andrew Westby
Director

Natural Resources Institute
University of Greenwich
Medway Campus, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1634 883478 | Fax: +44 (0) 1634 883386 | Skype: andrewwestby
E-mail: a.we...@gre.ac.uk
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www.facebook.com/pages/NaturalResourcesInstitute

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