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University of Exeter

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PhD Studentship: Using modelling and experiments to understand how, when and where viruses undergo recombination in plants University of Exeter in United Kingdom

Degree Level

PhD

Field of study

Computer Science

Funding

Available

Deadline

Dec 8, 2026

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Country

United Kingdom

University

University of Exeter

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Keywords

Computer Science
Molecular Biology
Evolutionary Biology
Environmental Science
Agriculture
Biology
Mathematics
Plant Pathology
Mathematical Modeling
Computational Biology
Monte Carlo Simulation
Food Insecurity
Plant Virology
Statistics
Physics
ML

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About this position

[Full funding of fees plus a stipend of £21,805 per annum for 2026/7.]

University of Exeter is offering a funded PhD studentship on a highly interdisciplinary project that combines modelling, image analysis and experimental biology to understand how, when and where viruses undergo recombination in plants.

Plant viruses are a major threat to global food production, and this project focuses on a fundamental question in viral evolution: how distinct viral strains encounter one another inside infected plant tissues and generate recombinant genomes. The research aims to uncover the hidden biological processes that create opportunities for recombination, with implications for plant disease emergence, crop resistance breakdown and food security.

The project begins with analysis of fluorescence images from real viral infections. You will use classical image-analysis methods alongside modern machine-learning tools to examine how viruses spread through plants and where different strains come into contact. These results will feed into a multiscale model of viral spread, connecting cellular-scale processes with tissue- and plant-level patterns. Simulations will then be used to infer the underlying biological mechanisms and estimate key parameters shaping infection dynamics.

In the second phase, you will test the model predictions experimentally. Working with existing molecular resources, you will gain experience in plant pathology, molecular biology and microbial techniques. A novel molecular tool will be developed to detect recombination events using engineered split and mutated fluorescent proteins, allowing direct measurement of recombination inside infected plants.

This studentship is jointly supervised by Dr Mike Deeks, a cell biologist and plant pathologist, and Dr Wolfram Moebius, a physicist whose research centres on evolution. The project is designed for a student who wants to work across computational and laboratory disciplines while building transferable skills in quantitative analysis, modelling, simulation and experimental design.

Funding is provided as full fees plus a stipend of £21,805 per annum for 2026/7. The application deadline is 8 December 2026.

Funding details

Available

What's required

This PhD studentship is suited to candidates interested in combining computational and experimental research. The project will introduce plant pathology, molecular biology and microbial techniques, so prior experience in these areas would be helpful but is not explicitly required. Applicants should be prepared to work across image analysis, machine learning, mathematical modelling and laboratory experiments in an interdisciplinary setting.

How to apply

Apply via the University of Exeter funding page using the application link provided. Prepare your application before the deadline of 8 December 2026. Follow any instructions on the funding page and submit the required supporting documents online.

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