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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
PhD Project Template
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Use one form per project
Please complete & submit to international@nuigalway.ie as soon as possible, and by 27/11/2012
In your email, begin the subject line with [SWB] (be sure to use square brackets) to ensure that
your email is filed correctly. Emails will be automatically filed
PI name & contact details:
Dr. Shane O’Connell
& Professor Charles Spillane
Plant & AgriBiosciences Research Centre (PABC),
C306 Aras de Brun,
National University of Ireland Galway,
Galway,
Ireland.
[T] +353-91-494148
[E] charles.spillane@nuigalway.ie
[E]shane.oconnell@staff.ittralee.ie
www.plantagbiosciences.org
School:
Has project been agreed with head (or
nominee) of proposed registration school?
School of Natural Sciences
http://www.nuigalway.ie/natural_sciences/research.html
Research Centre / group affiliation:
Yes
Plant & AgriBiosciences Research Centre (PABC)
Research group / centre website:
www.plantagbiosciences.org
PI website / link to CV:
www.plantagbiosciences.org
http://www.brandonproducts.com/
Brief summary of PI research / research group / centre activity (2 or 3 lines max):
If you are already involved in relevant scholarly activities relating to Brazil, please mention them here.
Professor Charles Spillane is the Chair of Plant Science in the National University of Ireland Galway
(NUI Galway), and Head of the Plant & AgriBiosciences Research Centre in NUI Galway. Prof
Spillane’s Genetics & Biotechnology lab conducts both fundamental and applied research on topics
of genetic, epigenetic and/or biotechnological topics. The lab team conducts internationally
competitive genetics research on plant, microalgal and animal systems with a range of national and
international partners (including Brazilian institutions). See: www.spillanelab.org
Dr. Shane O’Connell is a Principal Investigator in the Plant and AgriBiosciences Research Centre at
NUI Galway and also at the Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre in the Institute of Technology
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Tralee Ireland. Shannon ABC is a commercially focused, state of the art, research centre. Shannon
ABC’s modus operandi is to explore natural products for novel bioactive substances of value to the
Healthcare, Forensic, Pharmaceutical, Food, Cosmetics, Agricultural, Environmental and Bio-Energy
Industry. Shannon ABC was established to offer expertise and state-of-the-art resources to
companies keen to develop and improve their competitive edge. Dr O’Connell’s team focus on the
bioprocessing of algal biomass and other natural materials for the development of novel
biostimulants for use in enhancing crop yields.
Both Dr. O’Connell and Prof. Spillane work closely with the algal biosciences company Brandon
Products which manufactures a range of biostimulants for plant health. Brandon is a progressive
Irish marine biotechnology company founded in 1998 to commercialise outcomes of university
Research and Development projects based on the use of extracts from Ascophyllum nodosum for
better crop performance. The company has expanded its partnership with research providers over
the past ten years and availed of assistance under both national (Enterprise Ireland) and EU funded
programmes for Research, Development and Innovation. Since its inception the company has been
export orientated and has a technical sales presence in 33 countries worldwide with Brazil being a
major market for the company.
Title & brief description of PhD project (suitable for publication on web):
To investigate the effect of Ascophyllum nodosum extract (ANE) on flowering of citrus/avocado/coffee and the
expression of putative orthologues of genes involved in flowering pathways to provide an insight into the
molecular mechanisms underlying alternate bearing in one of the following crops: citrus/avocado/coffee.
Alternate bearing (AB) is the process in fruit trees by which cycles of heavy yield (ON crop) one year are
followed by a light yield (OFF crop) the next. Heavy yield usually reduces flowering intensity the following
year. Despite its agricultural importance, how the developing crop influences the following year's return
bloom and yield is not fully understood. Alternate bearing is a serious problem in number of crops (e.g.
citrus/avocado/coffee). In fact, each year, trees have to be thinned in order to ensure a correct and constant
balance between the reproductive and vegetative tendencies of the plant. In organic fruit growing, there is no
alternative to the expensive and time-consuming process of hand-thinning. Under these conditions, the use of
natural bio-stimulants (Ascophyllum nodosum Extract) which enhance the efficiency of nutrient uptake, plant
fitness to different pedoclimatic conditions, and plant tolerance to stress, offers new opportunities to reduce
the negative effects of alternate bearing. Spinelli et al (2009) concluded that ANE decreased the oscillations in
yield between “on” and “off” years however the information about the endogenous pathways and the genes
involved is limited. Therefore, the aim of the PhD project is to examine the expression of flowering control
genes, and global gene expression in ON- and OFF-crop buds when pre-treated with ANE. The number of
processes differentially expressed between ON- and OFF-crop trees including key metabolic and regulatory
pathways, such as photosynthesis and secondary metabolism. These analyses are expected to clarify which of
the processes induced in ON and OFF buds are directly affected by ANE application.
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Unique selling points of PhD project in NUI Galway:
NUI Galway projects should emphasise features that are not typically available in Brazil – specific equipment,
multi-disciplinarity, aspects of structured programme, links with industry, placements, links with other research
groups etc.
The PhD project will strategically position the student for a successful career in biotechnology. The Plant and
AgriBiosciences Centre has hosted three PhD students from Brazil in the past five years. The Plant and
AgriBiosciences Centre publishes in high-impact international journals which improves the competitiveness of
the researchers within the Lab. The PhD student will be located in the context of the Plant & AgriBiosciences
Research Centre which has a dynamic mix of research groups and researchers, working with industrial and
institutional partners to advance plant and agribiosciences innovations.
The structured PhD program in NUI Galway allows students to get high-quality English language training and
training in additional science skills including statistics, science communication and advanced molecular
biosciences. NUI Galway is one of the top universities in Ireland with almost 18,000 students and 2200 staff,
and has regularly won accolades such as being nominated as the Sunday Times University of the Year. Galway
is a small, safe and friendly city, with a vibrant cultural scene and the largest Brazilian population in Ireland.
Name & contact details for project queries, if different from PI named above:
Please contact Dr. Shane O’Connell and Prof Charles Spillane (details above)
Please indicate the graduates of which disciplines that should apply:
Biochemistry, biotechnology, plant molecular biology, plant genetics, plant sciences
Ciência sem Fronteiras / Science Without Borders Priority Area:
Please indicate the specific programme priority area under which the proposed PhD project fits- choose only
one (tick box):
Engineering and other technological areas
Pure and Natural Sciences (e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry)/Physical Sciences (Mathematics,
Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geosciences)
Health and Biomedical Sciences / Clinical, Pré-clinical and Health Sciences
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Computing
Aerospace
Pharmaceuticals
Sustainable Agricultural Production
Oil, Gas and Coal
Renewable Energy
Minerals, Minerals Technology
Biotechnology
X
Nanotechnology and New Materials
Technologies for Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Disasters
Bioprospecting and Biodiversity
Marine Sciences
Creative Industry
New technologies in constructive engineering
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Please indicate which of the following applies to this project (referring to Science Without Borders
arrangements):
Suitable only as a Full PhD (Y/N): Y
Available to candidates seeking a Sandwich PhD arrangement (Y/N): N
Suitable for either/Don’t know: _____