Plant Health Undergraduate Studentships

These placements are a great way to:

• Find out what it’s like to contribute to a real research project

• Get research experience and learn new skills to boost your CV

• Meet and work with scientists who can help to answer your career questions

The scheme is open to undergraduate students registered at a UK institution for the majority of their science degree.

Students in the first year of their course are not eligible for this award.

Students will normally take up the award during the summer vacation in the middle years (i.e. year 2 out of 3, year 2 out of 4, or year 3 out of 4) of their degree but final year undergraduates intending to continue to study for a Masters or PhD may also be considered.

Mature students are encouraged to apply.

The Royal Society of Biology is committed to ensuring equal opportunities in the life sciences, and supports diversity throughout lifetimes at school and higher education, in the workplace and training.

To find out more and apply for these studentships, use the links in the project titles below. You will need to create a free myRSB account, but you do not need to be a member of the Royal Society of Biology. If you are not a member, we encourage you to consider Student Affiliate membership (not mandatory).

When applying, you will be asked for the results from your university course to date, and previous qualifications. You will also be asked for a personal statement outlining your reasons for applying for this project, details of any previous employment (if applicable), and about any extracurricular activities.

Your academic tutor and university careers service may be useful sources of advice about your application.

You may apply for more than one studentship project, but to have the best chance of success, we strongly encourage you to tailor your application for each project.

Applications must be received by 23:59 on Tuesday 28 April 2026. You will be informed of your outcome by mid-end May 2026.

Please contact registers@rsb.org.uk with any questions.

Selected students will take part in an online mini-symposium during their placement. On completion of their project, students will be required to submit a poster about their project to present at an online mini-symposium, and complete a short feedback questionnaire.

A selection of students’ posters may be included in relevant Royal Society of Biology publications.

Please note that projects are subject to the availability of external funding being received. Please do not make any firm commitments prior to confirmation from the Royal Society of Biology.

Niab — Environmental effects on wheat yellow rust spores in disease models

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at Niab, Cambridge

Supervisor: Dr Camila Zanella

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by Defra

Harper Adams University — Wheat cultivar mixtures and behaviour of virus vectors

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at Harper Adams University, Shropshire

Supervisor: Dr Joe Roberts

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by Defra

John Innes Centre — Feeding preference and resistance to cabbage stem flea beetle

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at John Innes Centre, Norwich

Supervisor: Dr Rachel Wells

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by Defra

Canterbury Christ Church University — Healthy strawberries for the future

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at Canterbury Christ Church University/Edward Vinson, Canterbury/Faversham, Kent

Supervisor: Dr Alexander Forsyth

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by Defra

University of Manchester — MicrobeGym: evolutionary training & plant disease control

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at the University of Manchester, Manchester

Supervisor: Dr Rebecca Palmer

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by the Colegrave Seabrook Foundation

University of Exeter — Influence of leaf surface microbiome on wheat fungus

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at the University of Exeter, Exeter

Supervisor: Dr Helen Fones

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by Defra

The Sainsbury Laboratory — Recognition capacity of a potato immune receptor

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at the Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich

Supervisor: Professor Jonathan Jones

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by Defra

University of Warwick — Evaluating resistance in lettuce to aphids

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at the Warwick Crop Centre, Stratford-upon-Avon

Supervisor: Dr Lauren Chappell

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by Defra

Rothamsted Research – Temperature and flooding stress on crop pathogen survival

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at Rothamsted Research, Harpenden

Supervisor: Prof Jon West

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by Defra

University of Glasgow — Splicing and bacterial infection

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at the University of Glasgow, Glasgow

Supervisor: Professor Matt Jones

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by the Association of Applied Biologists (AAB)

James Hutton Institute — Diagnostic approaches for soft fruit viruses

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at James Hutton Institute, Dundee

Supervisor: Dr Louise Gamble

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by the SCI Horticulture Group

Swansea University — Insect pheromone lures

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at Swansea University, Swansea

Supervisor: Dr Wendy Harris

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by the Association of Applied Biologists (AAB)

Rothamsted Research — Wheat genetics and wireworm infection responses

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at Rothamsted Research, Harpenden

Supervisor: Dr Jozsef Vuts

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by Defra

Forest Research — Remote sensing of forest pathogen stress

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at the Northern Research Station, Forest Research

Supervisor: Dr Lisa Ward

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by Defra

BugBiome — Aphid-killing microbes

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at the BugBiome, John Innes Centre, Norwich

Supervisor: Dr Alicia Showering

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by Defra

University of the West of England — Essential oils and antimicrobials

Project Location: This project will be managed in-person at the University of the West of England, Bristol

Supervisor: Dr Oluwadamilola Racheal Okeyoyin

Sponsor: This project will be sponsored by Defra

Please contact registers@rsb.org.uk with any questions.

The Plant Health Undergraduate Summer Studentships programme aims to:

• Address skills and capacity challenges in plant health science by providing attractive opportunities for research experience to suitable undergraduates, offering them the opportunity to undertake supervised research with leading research groups.
• Facilitate training of undergraduates in research practice.
• Encourage research proposals and generate research outcomes in areas relevant to Defra’s plant health priorities.
• Build networks of research groups, emerging scientists and employers with a focus on plant health.

Plant Health Undergraduate Studentships projects address at least one of the following priorities identified by Defra, related to plant health:

• Risk assessment and horizon scanning
• Inspections, diagnostics and surveillance
• Management of pests and diseases
• Resilience and Adaptation
• Plant Health Behaviours
• Evaluation frameworks

These can be further explored in Defra’s Plant Health Research & Development Plan.