Project title: Demonstration of microbial-active protected cropping systems for tropical horticulture and Indigenous crops in the Northern Territory

About the Opportunity

Northern Australia faces significant challenges in producing reliable, affordable, and locally grown fresh food due to extreme climate, biosecurity pressure, and supply chain dependence on southern Australia. Novel protected cropping technologies offer a pathway to overcome these constraints by improving crop resilience, water efficiency, and productivity under tropical conditions.

This project will evaluate and demonstrate Orlar International’s microbial-active hydroponic system, combining advanced greenhouse design, substrate technology (Orlarock), and microbial consortia to support the cultivation of both temperate leafy greens and Indigenous plant species in the Northern Territory.

The project is a collaboration between Charles Darwin University (CDU) and Orlar International, with links to Indigenous bush food enterprises and broader food system development initiatives in northern Australia. The project is funded Future Food Systems CRC.

We are recruiting a PhD candidate to work as part of a closely integrated research team, collaborating with academic supervisors, industry partners, and technical staff. The student will focus on hydroponic system performance or microbial enhancement of hydroponic indigenous crops.

The student will work within an integrated experimental program combining greenhouse trials, microbial analysis, and industry translation and is expected to collaborate closely with the other PhD candidate and industry stakeholders throughout the project and contribute collaboratively to shared research activities.

Scholarship Details: For Domestic Candidates

- Research Training Program (RTP) stipend: $35,489 per annum (indexed annually)
- RTP Fee Offset (full tuition fee waiver)
- Project top-up:



$16,000 per annum for 3 years The RTP scholarship conditions for CDU can be located at: https://policies.cdu.edu.au/view-current.php?id=7

Eligibility The successful applicant must:

- meet the PhD course entry requirements at CDU: https://www.cdu.edu.au/research-and-innovation/future-research-students/apply-higher-degree-research
- For domestic candidates only, must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or New Zealand citizen

About You To be considered for this opportunity you should have:

- First Class honours (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline such as agricultural science, horticulture, soil/microbial biology, plant physiology, controlled environment agriculture, environmental science or related fields.
- Skills or the capacity to gain skills in at least one of the following fields:

1. Hydroponics and protected cropping systems
2. Plant physiology and crop production
3. Microbial ecology / plant–microbe interactions
4. Laboratory analysis (e.g. plant compounds, microbial profiling)
5. Environmental monitoring or greenhouse systems

- Experience with protected cropping, plant-microbe interactions, or indigenous bush food are highly desirable
- Strong motivation to work in an industry-linked, applied research project
- Demonstrated ability or willingness to:

1. Work effectively in a team-oriented research team environment
2. Engage with industry partners and multidisciplinary stakeholders
3. Contribute to shared experimental design, data collection, and reporting
4.



Contribute to project reporting

- Be willing to conduct greenhouse and experimental work in tropical conditions.
- Be willing to live and work in Darwin.
- Be able to enrol by semester 1, 2027.

How to Apply To submit an expression of interest please send the following to Prof. Stephen Xu at [email protected]

- Brief cover letter outlining your interest and relevant experience.
- Brief Curriculum Vitae
- Academic transcript

Please do not select the ‘Apply’ button For further enquiries please contact Prof. Stephen Xu on (08) 8946 7792 8946 7792) or email [email protected] Applications Close: Open till the position is filled

Commencement date: By Semester 1, 2027

Diversity and Inclusion

At CDU we actively celebrate our diversity. We innovate, embrace new ideas, and act with courage and kindness. We’re about what we can give to the world rather than what we take, and we believe in the transformative power of education.

We work hard to make sure every member of our university community feels that they truly belong. Understanding that it is through our focus on our people and leveraging our differences that will make CDU the most connected university in Australia, we are striving to ensure that our culture and our community is inclusive of all our staff, students and visitors. We are committed to maintaining a culture where everyone feels respected, safe, encouraged to speak up and supported in achieving their professional goals.

Applications from First Nations people, women at all levels, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with disability, neurotypical and neurodiverse people, LGBTIQ+ people, people with family and caring responsibilities and people at all stages of their careers are welcomed.

You make CDU. And we want you to be exactly who you are.

📌 PhD Opportunities: Tropical Protected Cropping & Indigenous Hydroponics (Darwin)
🏢 Charles Darwin University
📍 Darwin