Closing 31 July 2025

Agriculture Victoria is funding an exciting PhD project to explore the genetic basis of virulence in phylloxera, using natural variation in Australian phylloxera populations, a variety of genomic, transcriptomic and molecular techniques, and novel insect-plant bioassay methods. The project will be supervised by A/Prof Paul Cunningham and Dr Alex Piper at the School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, with external co-supervision by Dr Jack Scanlan and Dr Jessi Henneken (Agriculture Victoria), and Dr Paul Nabity (The University of Melbourne).

This project will advance the fundamental understanding of insect-plant interactions and support the Australian viticulture industry. Through collaboration with a diverse team of entomologists, botanists, bioinformaticians, and industry partners, the student will receive comprehensive training, and access to cutting-edge techniques and skills that are in high demand within academia and industry.

For enquiries and to apply, please forward a covering letter, your curriculum vitae (please include evidence of research writing) and academic transcripts to:

Kendra Whiteman,