Mark Banfield

[Fully funded 4-year PhD CASE studentship with tuition fees paid, annual stipend of £20,780 (2025/6 rate), and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per year.] This fully funded PhD studentship at the University of East Anglia focuses on engineering plant immunity to develop novel disease resistance in cereal crops, particularly targeting the devastating fungal disease Blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae. Supervised by Professor Mark Banfield, the project investigates the mechanisms by which newly discovered tandem kinase proteins—intracellular plant immune receptors—recognize pathogen effectors and trigger immune responses. The research combines molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology, AI-led computational design, in planta assays, and plant pathology to understand and potentially engineer these immune receptors for improved agricultural outcomes. The project is highly relevant to global food security and sustainable agriculture, addressing the challenges posed by plant diseases in the context of climate change and the need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The successful candidate will join the Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Programme (NRPDTP), benefiting from a vibrant research community, world-class facilities, and comprehensive professional development opportunities, including a three-month professional internship placement (PIPS). The studentship covers full tuition fees, a generous annual stipend, and a research training support grant. Applicants should have at least a UK 2:1 Honours degree or equivalent and meet English language requirements (IELTS 6.5 overall, minimum 6 in each category). The programme starts in October 2026, with interviews for shortlisted candidates scheduled for February 2026. For further details and to apply, candidates should visit the UEA and NRPDTP websites.

[Fully funded 4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD studentship including tuition fees paid directly to the university, a stipend of £21,805 (2026/27 rate), and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per year.] PhD studentship at the University of East Anglia on AI-led protein design for engineering disease resistance in plants. This project sits within the Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Programme (NRPDTP) and focuses on understanding and engineering plant immune receptors. The research will investigate how recognition-switch-execute modules can be computationally built and combined to recognise pathogen molecules, activate receptors, and trigger cellular responses that could prevent disease. The work is highly interdisciplinary and spans computational protein design, molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology, in planta assays, and plant pathology. The studentship is supervised by Professor Mark Banfield and is based in a stimulating research environment with access to world-class facilities and opportunities to collaborate with national and international partners. The project is especially relevant to plant disease control, sustainable agriculture, and food security under climate change, with the longer-term goal of developing new-to-nature immune receptors that can help protect crops and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The NRPDTP studentship is fully funded for 4 years . Funding includes payment of tuition fees, a stipend for living costs at the 2026/27 rate of £21,805 , and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per year . Students also complete a three-month professional internship placement (PIPS) and receive comprehensive training and professional development as part of the programme. Eligibility highlights: applicants should have at least a UK-equivalent Bachelor’s (Honours) degree at 2:1 level. English language requirements for the Faculty of Science equivalent to IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each category are stated. The mode of study is full-time , with a start date of 1 October 2027 . Shortlisted candidates are expected to be interviewed on 2, 3, and 4 February 2027 . Application deadline: 30 November 2026. Applicants must apply via the University of East Anglia postgraduate research application page and use the NRPDTP-specific personal and research statement templates referenced in the advert.