Thursday, 04 September 2025
A plant scientist from the 糖心原创 has been awarded €1.5m for research to explore how roots navigate the underground world while coping with uncertain oxygen supply.
Vinay Shukla is a PhD who is joining Nottingham’s School of Biosciences from the University of Oxford and has been selected to receive a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting grant for his research.
Roots are like scuba divers without a tank; every breath is a struggle for survival. Plants may make oxygen in their leaves, but their roots need to breathe too, and that’s not easy underground. Roots rely on little pockets of air in the soil, and when it rains heavily or the soil gets compacted, oxygen quickly runs out.
The ‘Breathing Underground’ project will look at how roots deal with this challenge. Multi-modal sensors will be used to create 3D maps of oxygen inside roots. In parallel, Dr Shukla will explore how low oxygen shapes their growth, and how roots navigate the underground world while coping with uncertain oxygen supply.
This work could help us understand how to make crops cope better with flooding and poorly oxygenated soils.
The funding is one of 478 Starting Grants awarded to early career researchers across Europe. The funding – totalling nearly €761 million – supports excellent research across diverse fields, from life sciences and physics to social sciences and humanities. It will help researchers at the beginning of their careers to launch their own projects, form their teams and pursue their most promising ideas.
I鈥檓 honoured & excited to be receive this ERC Starting Grant, which will allow me to explore one of the most fundamental yet overlooked aspects of plant life: how roots breathe underground.
Dr Shukla added: "By revealing how oxygen availability shapes root growth and survival, my team and I hope to uncover principles that can ultimately help us build more resilient crops. With climate change increasing flooding and extreme weather, understanding how plants adapt below ground is not only scientifically fascinating but also vital for food security.”
President of the European Research Council, Prof. Maria Leptin, said: “All these bright minds and the plethora of brilliant ideas that they will go after really inspire me, and so does their scientific creativity. It also gives hope that Europe empowers them and backs them. Yest, we could do more! Only 12% of all proposals in this competition are being funded, even if many more are excellent. More investment in this type of science is needed for Europe to reach its full potential.”
Starting Grants amount to €1.5 million per grant for a period of five years. However, additional funds can be made available to cover costs related to moving from a country outside the EU or associated countries, the purchase of major equipment, access to large facilities or major experimental and fieldwork-related costs.
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.