Funded PhD Studentship – Microbiology

Deadline: 31 July 2017
Open to: UK/EU candidates
Scholarships: full cost of annual stipend of £14,800. There is also up to £1,000 available for other expenses

Description

Funded Ph.D. Studentship: Microbiome characterization guides the development of novel pest control strategies: Lessons derived from F. occidental microbial symbionts.

Subject areas:

  • Insect symbionts;
  • Genomics, Microbiology;
  • Bioinformatics.

Swansea University is a UK top 30 institution for research excellence (Research Excellence Framework 2014) and has been named Welsh University of the Year 2017 by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide.

Insects substantially contribute to natural and man-managed ecosystems, with both positive (e.g. plant pollination) and negative (e.g. pests and disease vectors) effects. The latter in particular has profound socio-economic implications for human health and food security. Current intensive agriculture practice relies heavily on the use of continued pesticide application to control pest population density in order to maintain crop yield and market value of produce. Such control prevents direct damage to crops caused by insect pests and insect-borne diseases. However, the reliance on these pesticides is rapidly transiting from a solution to a serious problem with wide-ranging impacts on the local ecology and human health. The inability of current pesticides to target insects with high specificity, together with the emergence of resistance and the long persistence of toxic chemical byproducts in the soil, highlights the urgent need for novel strategies to cope with highly invasive insect pests whilst preserving the integrity and biodiversity of surrounding habitats. An emerging strategy to complement current pest control tools is to employ microorganisms that colonize insect pests as strict or facultative symbionts.

Eligibility

Applicants should have an MSc or excellent first class or upper second class honors degree in Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular Microbiology or a related subject.

Essential Criteria:

It is essential that applicants have experience in aseptic microbiological techniques and standard molecular biology methods – incl. DNA isolation, PCR, gel electrophoresis. The applicant should be proficient in giving oral presentations, manipulating large datasets using bioinformatics tools and be willing to attend and present their work at relevant conferences.

Desirable criteria:

It is desirable that applicants have a demonstrable understanding of bioinformatics analysis – in particular Next Generation Sequencing, bacterial genome assembly, 16S metagenetic profiling and phylogenetic reconstruction, and willingness to contribute to insect husbandry.

Due to funding restrictions, this studentship is open to UK/EU candidates only.

Benefits

The studentship covers the full cost of UK/EU tuition fees plus an annual stipend of £14,800. There is also up to £1,000 available for other expenses.

How to Apply?

To apply please complete the following documents and send to Dr Ricardo Del Sol (e.r.abascal@swansea.ac.uk):

  • CV;
  • Covering letter;
  • Contact details of two academic referees.

For inquiries, please contact Dr. Ricardo Del Sol by emailing e.r.abascal@swansea.ac.uk or calling +44 (0)1792 295191.

For more information please visit the official website.

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