Employer : The University of Adelaide - Analytics for the Australian Grain Industry (AAGI)

Closing date: Open until filled
Brief position description:

The Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) initiative is a five-year strategic partnership to enhance the profitability and global competitiveness of the Australian grains sector through advanced analytics. The University of Adelaide, in collaboration with Curtin University, the University of Queensland and other research institutions, is leveraging machine learning, data fusion, and statistics to support grain growers in making data-driven decisions.

We are recruiting one PhD candidate for the project "Efficient construction and visualisation of pangenomes for crops with large genomes." Pangenomes are highly relevant for grain RD&E pre-breeding research because they capture the full spectrum of genetic diversity within a species, going beyond the limitations of single-reference genomes. By integrating multiple genomes from different individuals or populations, pangenomes provide a more comprehensive understanding of gene presence/absence, structural variations, and evolutionary dynamics.

In this project we will aim to develop novel dynamic programming computational methods for pangenome assembly of diploid and polyploid crop species and benchmark them against other methods such as graph-based methods. This project will combine algorithm development and computational programming with large population genomes. Candidates will work within a vibrant cutting-edge analytics team that delivers technologies back to the Australian grains industry research to maximise benefits for farmers and growers. This research project will also be highly collaborative with major partners, Curtin University and the University of Western Australia. Through these linkages, there will also be an opportunity to develop the research further into a practical web-based visualisation tool to represent pangenome and structural variations.

Job website: http://scholarships.adelaide.edu.au/Scholarships/postgraduate-research/faculty-of-sciences-engineering-and-technology-set/analytics

Contact name: Sandy Khor

Contact email: sandy.khor@adelaide.edu.au