Preserving native biodiversity and wheat production in Bhutan

Preserving native biodiversity and wheat production in Bhutan

Project Description

Supervisors

Professor Diane Saunders, John Innes Centre

Dr Phil Carella, John Innes Centre

Professor Dan Bebber, Professor of Ecology, Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter

Ms Yeshey Dema, Program Director, National Plant Protection Centre, Bhutan

 

Scientific Background

Bhutan is well-known for its extraordinarily high species richness and endemism rate. With only ~8% of Bhutan’s land being arable, wheat is a staple crop of significant importance. It is among one of the few crops cultivated at high altitudes and holds significant cultural, religious and food security value. Yet, wheat production remains vulnerable to biotic and socio-economic challenges. Bhutan is also considered an important source of novel pathogen diversity for major wheat diseases, which can rapidly spread to other regions.

The most serious biotic threat is the “polio of agriculture”, the wheat rusts. These fungal pathogens follow a heteroecious lifecycle, reproducing asexually on wheat and sexually on Berberis. Bhutan is a global hotspot for Berberis diversity, which also holds significant cultural and medicinal value in the country. Understanding the relationship between wheat rusts and Berberis is critical for developing disease control strategies for wheat that also safeguard native biodiversity and ecosystem stability.

 

Research Methodology

The main aim of this project is to resolve the conflicting interests of preserving biodiversity while protecting wheat from one of the greatest biotic threats to production, the wheat rusts. The individual will: (i) visit Bhutan to characterise the spatial distribution and species composition of Berberis in major wheat growing areas, (ii) assess the genetic diversity of locally adapted Bhutanese wheat landraces and their typically higher resilience to rust infection, and (iii) develop a spatial model to resolve wheat planting strategies that can be used to safeguard biodiversity and suppress rust outbreaks.

 

Training

You will be embedded in the international and multidisciplinary Saunders Lab at the John Innes Centre, providing opportunities to develop extensive skills in a breadth of areas, including field surveys, plant pathology, molecular biology, and computational biology. Additionally, you will receive training in landscape modelling by research leaders at Exeter University and work with partners at CIMMYT and the Bhutan National Plant Protection Centre.

 

Person Specification

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual, excited about applying interdisciplinary techniques to address the critical need to develop multi-functional landscapes that support both food production and conservation.

Acceptable first degree subjects: Biology, Ecology (or related)

Project code: SAUNDERS_JI_ARIES26

References

  • Lewis C.M., Morier‐Gxoyiya C., Hubbard A., Nellist C.F., *Bebber D.P., *Saunders D.G.O. (2024) Resurgence of wheat stem rust infections in western Europe: causes and how to curtail them. New Phytologist, 243: 537-542. [https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19864]
  • Savva L., Bryan A., Vinopal D., Gonzalez-Navarro O.E., Kosgey Z., Ndungu K.C., Horo J.T., Danu K.G., Molla M., Alemayehu Y., *Hodson D.P., *Saunders D.G.O. (2025) A portable, nanopore-based genotyping platform for near real-time detection of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici lineages and fungicide sensitivity. BMC Genomics 26:327. [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11428-w]
  • Barnes G., Saunders D.G.O., Williamson T. (2020) Banishing barberry: The history of Berberis vulgaris prevalence and wheat stem rust incidence across Britain. Plant Pathology, 69: 1193-1202. [https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.13231]
  • Chaloner T.M, Gurr S.J., Bebber D.P. (2020) Geometry and evolution of the ecological niche in plant-associated microbes. Nature Communications. 11: 2955. [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16778-5]
  • Bailey S.L., Morier‐Gxoyiya C., Puthanvila Surendrababu S., Saunders D.G.O. (2024) A history of strategies and a tapestry of triumphant tales in tackling plant fungal diseases. Plant Pathology. [https://doi.org/10.1111/ppa.13950]

Key Information

  • This studentship has been shortlisted for funding under the UKRI NERC DLA funding scheme and will commence on 1 October 2026. The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 7 January 2026.
  • Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded studentship, which covers fees, maintenance stipend (£20,780 p.a. for 2025/26) and a research training and support grant (RTSG). A limited number of studentships are available for international applicants, with the difference between 'home' and 'international' fees being waived by the registering university. Please note, however, that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK, such as visa costs or the health surcharge.
  • ARIES postgraduate researchers (PGRs) benefit from bespoke training and ARIES provides £2,500 to every student for access to external training, travel and conferences, on top of all Research Costs associated with the project. Excellent applicants from quantitative disciplines with limited experience in environmental sciences may be considered for an additional 3-month stipend to take advanced-level courses. Excellent applicants from quantitative disciplines with limited experience in environmental sciences may be considered for an additional 3-month stipend to take advanced-level courses.
  • ARIES is committed to equality, diversity, widening participation and inclusion in all areas of its operation. We encourage enquiries and applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation and transgender status. Academic qualifications are considered alongside non-academic experience, and our recruitment process considers potential with the same weighting as past experience.
  • All ARIES studentships may be undertaken on a part-time or full-time basis. International applicants should check whether there are any conditions of visa or immigration permission that preclude part-time study. All advertised project proposals have been developed with consideration of a safe, inclusive and appropriate research and fieldwork environment with respect to protected characteristics. If you have any concerns, please contact us.
  • For further information, please contact the supervisor. To apply for this Studentship, follow the instructions at the bottom of the page or click the 'apply now' link.
  • ARIES is required by our funders to collect Equality and Diversity Information from all of our applicants. The information you provide will be used solely for monitoring and statistical purposes; it will remain confidential and will be stored on the UEA SharePoint server. Data will not be shared with those involved in making decisions on the award of Studentships and will have no influence on the success of your application. It will only be shared outside of this group in an anonymised and aggregated form. You will be asked to complete the form by the University to which you apply.
  • ARIES studentships are subject to UKRI terms and conditions. Postgraduate Researchers are expected to live within reasonable distance of their host organisation for the duration of their studentship. Please see https://www.ukri.org/publications/terms-and-conditions-for-training-funding/ for more information.

Apply Now

Apply now via the  University of East Anglia Application Portal