Pathobiomes and Plant Immunity

PFG0079 Pathobiomes and Plant Immunity, 5,0 Hp

Ämnen

Biologi

Utbildningens nivå

Forskarnivå

Förkunskapskrav

Applicants must be admitted to graduate studies for a PhD degree in the broad area of biological sciences, and should have basic knowledge in the subject areas of plant pathology and plant-microbe interactions (e.g. have completed a basic course in the subject areas, or have completed an MSc project in the subject areas, or are perusing a PhD within the subject areas).

Mål

This course will provide students with the opportunity to understand emerging concepts in the field of plant-microbe interactions based on the study of pathogen-pathogen, pathogen-microbiome, and plant-microbiome interactions, with a particular focus on crops. Their implications for plant immunity will be analyzed, and important gaps of knowledge in the field will be highlighted. Finally, challenges and opportunities for research in the field will be discussed in light of state-of-the art technological advances.

Innehåll

The course is structured in four modules part:

Module 1 _ Literature to read (self-study): the students will receive a list of 2o core publications to study in order to get an overview of the research in the field. The provided list is not exhaustive an should serve as a basis for further readings based on the students’ favorite study system and scientific interests.

Module 2 _ Lectures (Online via Zoom): the students will attend 18 lectures which will be given by an international panel of researchers with diverse backgrounds and highly relevant expertise to the field. Here the students will build on part 1, and will have the opportunity to challenge and consolidate their understanding during the lectures.

Module 3 _ Theme based workshops (Online via Zoom): during these workshops, the students will work in small groups of 3 people on practical cases prepared by the teachers, formulate their own hypotheses, and work on experimental designs to test them. These workshops will give the student a good basis and a structure they can replicate to write the research proposal.

Module 4 _ Writing a short research proposal (self-study): the students will be required to write a short research proposal (4 pages), including a well-described experimental plan, aiming at the study of pathogen-pathogen, pathogen-microbe, or plant-pathobiome interactions, in a system of their choice.

Examinationsformer och fordringar för godkänd kurs

-Module 2: Students-led recap. 15 minutes, first thing in themorning. Students will take turns in small groups of 3 peoples to summarize the main discoveries, methods, and challenges from the lectures given the day before (1 group perday).

-Module 3: a short 10-15 minutes group presentation at the end of each workshop.

-Module 4: a 4 pages max research proposal following specific structure and guidelines that will be provided at the beginning of the course.



Full time registration (5 HEC) requires participation to all lectures, workshops, student-led recaps, and the submission of short 3-4 pages research project (see Syllabus). Detailed instructions and literature will be provided to registered students.



Part time registration (2 HEC) requires participation to lectures (only) and the submission of 2-3 pages synthesis as final assignment. Detailed instructions and literature will be provided to registered students.

Ytterligare information

Learning outcomes

The students should be able to:

-Develop basic understanding of the evolutionary, genetic,and molecular mechanisms underlying pathogen-pathogen,pathogen-microbiome, and plant-pathobiome interactions.

-Develop critical understanding of the conceptual andexperimental challenges in the field.

-Identify gaps of knowledge in the field, formulate newworking hypotheses, and design experiments to test them.

-Combine the first three point to write a short researchproposal on which they will get feedback from the teachers.

Ansvarig institution/motsvarande

Institutionen för Skoglig mykologi och växtpatologi