Host Faculty: Engineering
General Subject Area: Mechanical Engineering
Project Level: PhD
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) and Bragato Research Institute (BRI) are seeking an exceptional research student to investigate new ways to identify grapevines with increased resilience to spring frost.
This funded PhD offers the opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary academic-industry team on a challenge of direct importance to Aotearoa New Zealand's wine sector. The successful candidate will develop advanced expertise in thermal analysis, plant stress physiology, imaging, quantitative phenotyping, and predictive modelling, while contributing to research that could help vineyards adapt to future climate and freshwater constraints.
Spring frost can damage emerging buds, shoots and inflorescences, reducing yield and disrupting seasonal productivity. In many New Zealand vineyards, active frost protection relies on overhead sprinkler systems that require substantial volumes of freshwater. This project will investigate whether rapid, quantitative assessment of grapevine frost responses can support the selection of more resilient plant material.
Building on foundational spring-frost phenotyping work undertaken jointly by BRI's Grapevine Improvement Laboratory and UC's Department of Mechanical Engineering, the candidate will develop skills in controlled cold-stress assays, differential scanning calorimetry, physiological and imaging measurements, phenological and environmental data, statistical analysis and predictive modelling.
The research will include grapevine material of strategic relevance to Aotearoa New Zealand, such as Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Central Otago Pinot Noir, and newly developed candidate clones. Expected outcomes include a validated phenotyping workflow, robust indicators of frost avoidance, tissue tolerance and recovery, and an evidence base to guide genotype selection and future frost-management decisions.
The candidate will work across laboratory, controlled environment and field-relevant settings at UC and BRI, alongside experienced university supervisors and industry researchers. The training will support career pathways into agricultural and biological engineering, plant improvement and phenotyping, viticulture, and data science, relevant to Crown research institutes, universities and industry research and development. The detailed research design will be refined collaboratively with the successful candidate and supervisory team.
External Research Partner: Bragato Research Institute (BRI)
Supervisors
Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Mark P. Staiger
Other Supervisor(s): Associate Professor David W.M. Leung, Dr Solomon Wante, Dr Bhanupratap Reddy Vanga
Key qualifications and skills
We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with a research-focused honours or master’s qualification in mechanical, materials science, agricultural or environmental engineering; plant science; plant physiology; viticulture; horticulture; or a closely related discipline.
Experience in statistical computing using R or Python would be an advantage. Strong candidates with engineering or plant science backgrounds who can demonstrate research potential, adaptability, and the ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment are encouraged to apply.
Candidates must have completed, or be completing, an appropriate qualification at a level judged to be equivalent to an Aotearoa New Zealand four-year bachelor’s degree with First or Second Class Honours (Division I), or a research master’s degree with Distinction or Merit, or a research master’s degree with First or Second Class (Division I) Honours in a relevant field (the GPA from their last two years of relevant academic study must be equivalent to a UC GPA of at least 5.5).
Applicants must also submit a separate application for admission to a UC research doctoral degree before the scholarship closing date.
Does the project come with funding
Per annum: Stipend of $32,650 plus PhD tuition fees
Funding duration: Three years (360 points)
Final date for receiving applications
15 September 2026 (midnight)
How to apply
This is a UC Connect Scholarship and applications must be made through the Scholarship Portal in your myUC account. Emailed applications will not be considered. Find out more here: University of Canterbury Scholarship Portal - UC Connect - Frost-Resilient Grapevines
Keywords
Materials Science/Testing; Plant Ecophysiology; Quantitative Phenotyping; Viticulture; Grapevine; spring frost; frost resilience; plant physiology; quantitative phenotyping; differential scanning calorimetry
