Thesis subjects

P4256339-82We enjoy doing research, we are willing to explore new ideas, and we are open-minded. If you join our group we will support you and your work. We especially welcome students who are eager to discover and learn new things. Do not be shy, if you have some ideas of what subject you would like for your MSc thesis or literature review just come to talk with us about your thesis (BSc, MSc, PhD) plans. We are also willing to receive students for “placements” and practices in our group.

Joining the group

If you are a student looking for a M.Sc. thesis project, or you want to start your doctoral studies in a subject fitting with our group’s broad area of interest you are very welcome to come to discuss the possibilities. BSc students are also welcome to discuss as it is good to start early with reading the  literature and getting familiar with the possible subjects for a M.Sc. thesis. This can be done as the BSc “thesis” or as seminar assignment. It is also possible to do a small research project for the BSc thesis.

We do not have funding for new doctoral student’s salaries at the moment, but there are possibilities for applying for money from various foundations. Contact us in good time because getting money usually takes time.

Subjects for M.Sc. theses

MSc thesis projects available

Many different MSc projects would fit well within SenPEP’s current research program. Of course, the details will depend on the students’ interests and ideas. In addition other subjects are possible (see below).

For plants sunlight and shade light are not only sources of energy, but also sources of information. Light has different properties: irradiance (energy flux), colour (spectrum), direction, and temporal and spatial variation. Plants sense and respond to all these properties of light, properties that carry information about the biotic and abiotic environment.

Responses of plants to ultraviolet radiation have been little studied in combination with other regions of the spectrum. Our recent work on UVR8 and cryptochromes suggests that interactions among photoreceptors play a central role in responses to daylight. Furthermore, ultraviolet radiation needs to be measured and described in new ways that are more relevant to sensing by plants. This opens the door to different original possible thesis projects.

There is evidence from some our most recent experiments that exposure to solar UV radiation before a drought event results in anticipatory responses in the plant that enhance tolerance and avoid stress.

One recent review: https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiab162

A recent PhD thesis: http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-51-6933-4

A preprint: https://ecoevorxiv.org/tvk5b/

Subjects for which we are seeking interested students

[Remote] can be started straight away, even during corona virus shut-down. [Growth chambers] experiments are possible year-round as long as long bookings are possible. [Outdoors] Experiments can be done only during the growing season (May to November).

  1. [Viikki research  field] Subject area: Ecology and evolution of sunlight sensing in plants. Comparison of faba bean accessions from localities with very different exposure to solar UV-B radiation (Equatorial Africa and equatorial South America and Northern Europe). Eco-physiological  and micrometeorological measurements.
  2. [Viikki research  field/Growth chambers] Subject area: Photobiology. Does chryptochrome 3 (CRY-DASH) participate in light sensing by plants?
  3. [Viikki research  field/Growth chambers] Subject area: Photobiology. Colour or wavelength sensing in plants. Experiments using LEDs as light sources. Plant species and response to be decided.
  4. [Growth chambers] Subject area: Photobiology. Is there a role for ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence in plant responses observed in response to ultraviolet radiation applied in the absence or under very weak visible light conditions?
  5. [Growth chambers] Subject area: Ecophysiology. Acclimation of plants to pulsed light: the role of frequency and duty cycle on stomatal conductance and photosynthesis of leaves, water-use efficiency, growth and morphology of whole plants.
  6. [Remote] Subject area: Sensory ecology of plants. Analysis of climatological time series data, to assess whether ultraviolet-B irradiance could provide plants with a “warning” of impending drought events. The background for this study is that in several earlier studies it has been observed that exposure of plants to UV-B radiation can enhance tolerance to drought events. Command of statistics’ principles and concepts is required. R will be used but previous eperience with R is not a requirement. Time of the year and daily working hours are flexible, even remote work is possible.
  7. [Remote] Subject area: Sensory ecology of plants. Meta-analysis and/or reanalysis of original gene-expression data from recent experiments under sunlight from our research group with the aim of clarifying signalling interactions downstream of known photoreceptors.
  8. [Viikki research  field/Growth chambers/Laboratory] Subject area: Sensory Physiology. Attempt to reproduce with improved methods published but very controversial experiments about plants’ responses to sound.

Or propose your own subject

If you have your own interests, please contact us anyway, as it is always possible to apply for money or design experiments that do not require expensive consumables. Take into account that it is possible to find subjects for thesis research that are very interesting even though they are cheap to do, as the expensive equipment is already available.

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