PhD Studentship: Investigating the ‘cry-for-help’ Effect in Wheat

Soil microbial associations with roots are highly complex and incredibly important for healthy plant growth. Consequently, plants secrete diverse metabolites to attract/repel key microorganisms from the surrounding soil. Plant-recruited microbes contribute to plant health in multiple ways, including nutrient solubilisation, growth promotion and pathogen antagonism. Recent evidence suggests that plant roots actively recruit beneficial microbes in response to pathogen attack, the so-called ‘cry-for-help’ effect. While we understand the broad principles of the cry-for-help effect, many details of this phenomenon are poorly understood.

In this project, the student will analyse wheat split-root microcosms inoculated with microbial communities of varying complexity to explore the relationship between pathogen challenge, root metabolite secretion and soil microbiome recruitment. Using a combination of molecular and environmental microbiology, bioinformatic analysis, metabolomics and plant-microbe interaction assays, they will dissect the wheat cry-for-help effect in unprecedented detail. The project will ultimately lead to a comprehensive understanding of wheat metabolite secretion and its role in recruiting microbial communities and maintaining healthy soils. This knowledge will be crucial to the development of the next generation of sustainable, high-yielding wheat varieties.

The studentship will be based at the John Innes Centre and the neighbouring Earlham Institute. Both partners provide cutting-edge research facilities and a stimulating research and training environment, working alongside world-leading experts in soil microbiology and plant-microbe interactions. They will be part of a friendly, collaborative research team and will gain excellent training in a range of skills and techniques. The combination of transferrable, technical skills associated with the project will make the successful candidate highly employable, in industry or academia.

Funding Details

This project is awarded with a 4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD DTP studentship. The studentship includes payment of tuition fees (directly to the University), a stipend to cover living expenses (2026/27 stipend rate: £21,805, and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000pa for each year of the studentship.

For further information please click on the 'Apply' button above.

Closing Date: 23:59 on 30 November 2026.

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