sentences:  He studied Science at the University of Adelaide, majoring in biochemistry and genetics, and completing an honours degree.Rathjen was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to New College, Oxford in 1985 where he continued research into certain plant pathogens called viroids and their association with RNA behaviour.He was awarded a DPhil in 1987, and then worked as a postdoctoral researcher on embryonic stem cells from 1988 to 1990.