
Dr Anne Visscher is a Research Fellow in Seed and Stress Biology at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and will supervise this internship. She has more than 17 years of experience in plant and seed biology, with a particular focus on survival and growth in extreme environments on Earth and in space. Her research aims to identify plant species with exceptional stress tolerance and to uncover the seed and plant traits that underpin this resilience. She is also interested in global patterns of plant and seed traits, including those associated with stress tolerance.
Anne’s research approach is highly integrative: depending on the question, she applies physiological, molecular, biophysical, biochemical, and genomic techniques, working both independently and in collaboration with colleagues across disciplines. She has published 18 scientific manuscripts to date and has supervised multiple MSc and PhD students, as well as interns, volunteers, and visiting researchers.
【Trait Diversity and Function Department】
The Trait Diversity and Function Department investigates the properties of plants and fungi and their potential applications for human health, well-being, and sustainable development. Our research examines how traits have evolved and how they function, revealing how species adapt to particular environments and how resilient they may be to future change. This knowledge supports the conservation of plants and fungi and helps identify species that can be used sustainably and equitably for the benefit of humankind.
The department comprises six teams: Biological Chemistry, Character Evolution, Seed and Stress Biology, Comparative Fungal Biology, Plant Health and Adaptation, and Crops and Global Change. This internship is hosted by the Seed and Stress Biology team, based at the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst in West Sussex. The team focuses on key seed functional traits—such as germination, longevity, and stress responses—in wild plant species to inform the development of effective seed conservation and use strategies.
The NTU 2027 student will be based in the Seed and Stress Biology team, which is part of the Traits and Interactions Department and based at the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) at Wakehurst, in West Sussex. The research of the Seed and Stress Biology team focusses on key seed functional traits related to germination, longevity and stress in wild plant species to inform development of seed conservation and use strategies. The project will form part of a larger 3-year project: “Seed trait discovery for conservation, restoration and nature-based solutions”. The student will use existing seed collections held at the MSB to do seed trait analyses including the experimental determination of physiological traits such as dormancy, longevity and environmental thresholds (e.g., base water potential, salt tolerance) for germination; measurement of biophysical properties to characterise drying and cooling dynamics; biochemical analyses of oil content, lipid and antioxidant composition, etc. to identify nutritional uses; and assessment of germination and seedling response to challenging environments to identify climate resilient seeds for use in restoration.
From June 14 to September 5, 2027 (adjustable at the discretion of the organisation)