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Supervisors: Prof. Tim Barraclough, Prof. Gary Frost, Prof. Glenn Gibson, Imperial College London, Department of Life Sciences (Silwood Park campus), with Department of Medicine (Hammersmith), and the University of Reading (Department
Duration: 1 + 3 years, the first year comprising an MRes programme.
Requirements: You should hold, or realistically expect to obtain, at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree or equivalent. You should have a strong academic background in biological or mathematical sciences.
Project outline: Gut bacteria play a vital role in human digestion and protection from disease, yet understanding of how these communities influence host function is limited, and has been reliant on experiments on rodents. This project will devise new in vitro and in silico models to replace the use of rodents and to increase understanding of interactions between gut bacterial diversity and human cell function, focusing on the fermentation of fibre and its effects on human cells. The project aims to understand the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of gut bacterial communities and their interactions with the host, then to apply that knowledge to managing impacts on human health. You will work at the interface of microbial ecology and evolution, medicine and nutritional sciences. You will learn a range of techniques in microbiology, evolutionary ecology, molecular biology, metabolomics, genomics, mathematical modeling and statistics.
Eligibility: UK nationals, EU nationals who have spent at least 3 years prior to the application resident in the UK. Non-UK residents might be considered if the research organization can demonstrate a shortage of high-quality UK candidates.
To apply: Please send a CV and a covering letter explaining why you are interested and what skills and abilities you could bring to the studentship to Tim Barraclough (t.barraclough@imperial.ac.uk) by the 16th March 2012.
Further information: Tim Barraclough (t.barraclough@imperial.ac.uk). Division of Ecology & Evolution, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, UK. Telephone: +44 (0)207 594 2247.
Funding Notes:
Funding: NC3R studentship (http://www.nc3rs.org.uk/page.asp?id=1485), full support for tuition fees, all project costs, and an annual tax-free stipend of £15,740.
Eligibility: UK nationals, EU nationals who have spent at least 3 years prior to the application resident in the UK. Non-UK residents might be considered if the research organization can demonstrate a shortage of high-quality UK candidates.