Looking to list your PhD opportunities? Log in here.
This project is no longer listed on FindAPhD.com and may not be available.
Click here to search FindAPhD.com for PhD studentship opportunitiesAbout the Project
An exciting opportunity for two PhD candidates to join a multidisciplinary international team led by Atlantic Technological University, Sligo and Dublin City University to conduct research in the area of marine natural products and bioprospecting. The ProspecTER project is funded by Science Foundation Ireland through the Frontiers for Partnership Programme (21/FFP-A/9153). Marine natural products have provided significant benefits for humanity and are fundamental if we are to create an innovative, sustainable marine sector for future generations - the ‘blue bioeconomy’. Terpenoids are isoprene-based molecules that comprise the most diverse natural products known. Discovery of terpenoids has led to revolutionary blockbuster anticancer drugs, cosmetic products and products for many other commercial applications. However, marine terpenoids have received little focus from a bioprospecting perspective. Advances in ‘OMICs’ technologies and associated computational approaches have created a significant opportunity for accelerated discovery of high-value marine terpenoids. The aim of this research is to prospect for novel terpenoid compounds with medical, veterinary and other commercial applications from marine microorganisms and microbe-dominated environments. This project will use advanced nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry approaches to screen for marine terpenoids across selected underexplored organisms and niches in Irish waters in combination with metagenomic approaches to create taxonomic and biosynthetic gene cluster libraries to elucidate what organisms produce these terpenoids.
The project requires two PhDs student in:
- Position 1) Bioprospecting of novel marine terpenoids using mass spectrometry and lipidomics approaches. The successful candidate will have a role in sampling, lipid extraction and the analysis and interpretation of mass spectral datasets.
- Position 2) Microbial metagenomics approaches to reveal terpenoid biosynthetic and bioprospecting potential in marine microorganisms. The successful candidate will have a role in biological sampling, DNA extraction and the analysis and interpretation of genomic and metagenomic next generation sequencing datasets.
Completed applications should be submitted to to the Research office, Atlantic Technological University Sligo Campus,
To Sean Walker at [Email Address Removed] Closing date 5th of January 2023 before 23:00
Funding Notes
Postgraduate fees for EU and for Non-EU students will be covered by the project.
Material costs and any necessary national and international travel as part of the project will be covered by the project.
IELTS/TOEFL certificate is required for candidates applying from non-English speaking countries. ATU Sligo’s approved English Language Entry Requirements for postgraduate students is IELTS 6.0 (Overall) with no component score less than 5.5.
References

Search suggestions
Based on your current searches we recommend the following search filters.
Check out our other PhDs in Sligo, Ireland
Check out our other PhDs in Ireland
Start a New search with our database of over 4,000 PhDs

PhD suggestions
Based on your current search criteria we thought you might be interested in these.
Novel multilayer porous structures with controllable nanoscale interactions for biomedical applications
Ulster University - Belfast Campus
Rheological and mechanical behaviour of fibre composite with nanobiocomposites matrix for aerospace applications
Kingston University
Towards the development of a novel class of broad-spectrum anti-infective drugs
University of Strathclyde