Can advanced analytical chemistry reveal both the risks and benefits of perennial rye?
Perennial rye is emerging as a promising crop for more sustainable grain production, with potential benefits for soil health, climate resilience, and resource efficiency.
However, little is known about how perennial growth influences the accumulation of natural toxins and beneficial compounds in grain.
This project aims to address these knowledge gaps by comparing perennial and annual rye systems and evaluating their implications for food safety, nutritional quality, and sustainable agriculture.
What will you do?
Using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry, your postdoctoral project will investigate the occurrence and structural diversity of natural toxins and other secondary metabolites in perennial and annual rye grain.
The results will contribute to a better understanding of the links between crop longevity, soil health, grain quality, and food safety.
Your duties and responsibilities include: • elucidate structural diversity of natura toxins in perennial ryegrass using high resolution mass spectrometry and computational tools for non-targeted data analysis;
• perform data processing, statistical analysis, and interpretation of complex metabolomics datasets;
• disseminate research findings through peer-reviewed publications, presentations at scientific conferences, and engagement with project partners;
• contribute to project meetings and collaborate with multidisciplinary researchers within the consortium.
You will work here The project is part of the GoodGrain consortium, coordinated by Aarhus University and funded by Plant2Food awarded to Laura Righetti, which will be executed in the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, which is headed by Prof. Han Zuilhof.
You will be supervised by Dr. Laura Righetti.