Centre for Crop Science - Winter Research Programs

Primary Supervisor: Dr Dongxue Zhao |  dongxue.zhao@uq.edu.au  

Please contact Dr Dongxue Zhao before applying.

Duration: 4 weeks (21 hours per week, 3 days must be on site); On-site (St Lucia Campus)

Drought is a major, increasing constraint to dryland agriculture. Under drought, the root system determines the capability of crop to take up water for photosynthesis and yield, underpinning drought resilience. This project aims to investigate the effects of water stress on the root growth and function in two main dryland cereal crops grown in Australia i.e., sorghum and wheat. 

Expected outcomes:  This study would help breeders to identify valuable root traits that enhance drought tolerance. Students may improve skills in conducting greenhouse experiments and recording data and learn new knowledge on crop drought adaptation. 

Suitability: This project is open to applications from 3rd – 4th year undergraduate, or masters students  with a background in agriculture, agronomy and crop science

Primary Supervisor: Dr Joseph Eyre |  j.eyre@uq.edu.au

Please contact Dr Joseph Eyre before applying

Duration: 4 weeks (30 hours per week); flexible working arrangements (Gatton)

Sustainability is a critical component of farming systems, influencing their success and resilience. The relative importance of economic, social, and environmental (ESG) metrics varies among stakeholders.  Understand the trade-offs between stakeholder defined quantitative and qualitative sustainability indicators and their alignment with the Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework (AASF) is crucial for developing a shared ESG vision for R&D design, policy development and adoption.  However, assessing complex farming systems performance metrics in an environment of climate and policy uncertainty is conceptually difficult and risks disengaging key stakeholders essential for adoption. An intuitive, tangible and rigorous analytical framework that is meaningful to local framers, researchers, R&D investment managers through to national level policy makers and consistent throughout cropping systems research stages is lacking

Expected outcomes:  Scholar will gain skills in coordinate data collection with agronomists and precision ag equipment specialists, data manipulation and management e.g. using R to prepare data format and databasing, interviews with crop managers on what determines their level of input into crop production e.g. fertilise to median expected yield or maximum expected yield, using field yield variation maps generated by the analytics team, survey crop managers on causes of within field and between field variability.   

Suitability: The project is open to applications from students with a background in agronomy, agri-business, mathmatics sciences.

Primary Supervisors: 

Dr Cresha Nadar | c.nadar@uq.edu.au
A/Prof Sudhir Yadav | sudhir.yadav@uq.edu.au

Please contact Dr. Cresha Nadar (c.nadar@uq.edu.au) prior to submitting an application.

Duration: 4 weeks (25 - 30 hours per week); On-site (St Lucia Campus) & flexible working arrangements

This project aims to evaluate the environmental impacts of different edible oils (e.g., palm oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and olive oil) using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Students will conduct a systematic review of existing LCA studies, identify key impact categories (e.g., carbon footprint, land use, water consumption), and perform an LCA using SimaPro. The project will compare various oils based on sustainability criteria and discuss potential improvements in production and processing.

Expected outcomes: 

• Conduct a systematic review of LCA studies on edible oils.
• Develop proficiency in SimaPro for modelling life cycle impacts.
• Analyse and compare key environmental impact categories.
• Interpret LCA results and propose sustainability recommendations. 

Suitability: This project is open to applications from masters students or 3rd – 4th year undergraduate students with a background in any of the following: food science, biotechnolgy,biological sciences, chemical sciences, environemental sciences, engineering sciences, agricultural science, or crop science.

Primary Supervisors: 

Dr Cresha Nadar | c.nadar@uq.edu.au
A/Prof Sudhir Yadav | sudhir.yadav@uq.edu.au

Please contact Dr. Cresha Nadar (c.nadar@uq.edu.au) prior to submitting an application.

Duration: 4 weeks (25 - 30 hours per week); On-site (St Lucia Campus) flexible working arrangements

This project explores the environmental impacts of fermentation-produced bio-fertilizers used in organic farming. Students will assess production processes, energy use, emissions, and overall sustainability using LCA tools. A systematic review will provide background on bio-fertilizers role in organic agriculture, and students will conduct an LCA using SimaPro to compare bio-fertilizers with conventional alternatives.

Expected outcomes: 

• Understand the role of bio-fertilizers in sustainable agriculture.
• Conduct a systematic review of bio-fertilizer LCA studies.
• Use SimaPro to model the life cycle impacts of fermentation-based bio-fertilizers.
• Compare the environmental performance of bio-fertilizers and synthetic fertilizers.
• Interpret LCA findings and suggest improvements in bio-fertilizer production.

Suitability: This project is open to applications from masters students or 3rd – 4th year undergraduate students with a background in any of the following: biotechnolgy,biological sciences, chemistry, agricultural science, chemical sciences, environemental sciences, engineering sciences,food science, or crop science.

Primary Supervisors: 

Dr Bruno Rafael | b.moreira@uq.edu.au
A/Prof Sudhir Yadav | sudhir.yadav@uq.edu.au

Please contact Dr Bruno (b.moreira@uq.edu.au) prior to submitting an application.

Duration: 4 weeks (30 hours per week); On-site (St Lucia Campus) flexible working arrangements

In this project, students will explore how biomass composition affects its quality for energy production. They will start by reviewing existing studies to understand what is already known about the relationship between biomass and energy. Using data collected from experiments, students will apply AI and machine learning tools to identify patterns in biomass characteristics and discover ways to improve its energy efficiency, while sparking students' interest in developing some highly sought-after analytical skills that are becoming essential in academia and industry

Expected outcomes: Conduct a literature review and summarise research; Understand the relationship between biomass quality and energy production; Gain hands-on experience using AI tools to analyse and visualise data.

Suitability: The project is open to applications from masters students or 3rd – 4th year undergraduate students with a background in any of the following: agricultural science (forestry, crop), chemical science, data science, engineering sciences, environmental science, materials science.