M.Sc. or PhD - Cultivating high-value plants in controlled environments | Ontario Agricultural College

M.Sc. or PhD - Cultivating high-value plants in controlled environments

Position: M.Sc. or PhD - Cultivating high-value plants in controlled environments

OAC Academic Unit: School of Environmental Sciences

Start date: Please contact Dr. Youbin Zheng yzheng@uoguelph.ca

Advisor Name: Dr Youbin Zheng

Location: University of Guelph

Funding: Minimum stipend of $17,000 per year for MSc and $20,000 per year for PhD

Project Description:

Climate change, urbanization, population growth, pandemics, wars, land degradation, limited arable land, food insecurity, and lack of fresh food in remote areas pose significant challenges for society.

Controlled environment (CE) plant production technologies like greenhouses and vertical farms offer innovative and integrated solutions.

CE enables optimal growing conditions regardless of extreme weather caused by climate change, making it difficult to cultivate high-value crops in open fields. By using soilless media, CE eliminates the need for fertile soil and produces top-quality plant-based food and medicines. CE systems are highly resource-efficient, using less water and nutrients than traditional field production. They also address localized shortages of fresh produce during pandemics, conflicts, or natural disasters, directly providing consistent, high-quality plant products to consumers. This reduces the environmental impact of long-distance transportation, benefiting large cities and remote regions, such as Canada's far north.

It's an exciting time for CE plant production research, with rapid industry growth and demand for talented, well-trained individuals.

The School of Environmental Sciences has a graduate student position open to domestic applicants (i.e., Canadian citizens or permanent residents) to join a team of scientists working on cultivating high-value plants in controlled environments. This position is available for both M.Sc. and/or Ph.D. programs.

Qualified candidates will have:

  • An outstanding academic record;
  • a background in plant/soil science;
  • strong academic writing skills;
  • the motivation to secure a promising career right after graduation

Application Instructions:

Please get in touch with Dr Youbin Zheng at yzheng@uoguelph.ca  for more details regarding the research and application process to join his lab as a graduate student.  

Applicants are required to include their CV, unofficial transcript and writing examples. 

Follow Us