Rothamsted Research is joining forces with eight other universities and research institutes in the United Kingdom to create a joint PhD training centre focused on “developing the next generation of interdisciplinary food systems experts”.
The training centre will be funded to the tune of £5 million (€5.59 million) through a major UK government investment fund designed to transform the country’s food chains, alongside contributions from partners, business, government departments and the charitable sector.
Called the ‘Partnership for Sustainable Food Future – Centre for Doctoral Training’, it will be led from the National Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich, London.
Wheat molecular biologist Dr Mark Wilkinson is one of the Rothamsted Research scientists involved and told the Rothamsted website: “Food systems are complex networks of people and activities that are responsible for ensuring that we all have safe, healthy and affordable food every day. For a sustainable food future, however, we will need cross disciplinary research that can approach the multiple challenges our production systems face from all angles.
“We are delighted, therefore, to have this opportunity to collaborate with such a variety of partners in the development of new talent to help deliver greater impact from our agricultural science.”
Rothamsted Research says several aspects of its research portfolio will be involved, including crop improvement, crop protection, soil science, livestock systems and bioinformatics. The consortium also includes University College London, Royal Veterinary College, Aberystwyth University, City University, University of Sussex and Brunel University London. In addition, the horticultural research institute NIAB EMR is involved, alongside partners from business, government and civil society.
ENDURE partner Rothamsted Research says the centre will train more than 60 researchers to become future food systems leaders and innovators and “house a ‘Food Systems Academy’, a dynamic learning network which will bring together doctoral researchers and their supervisors, with government, business and civil society organisations to co-design projects and help share knowledge”.
The first students are expected in October 2021.
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