This fully funded, 4-year PhD project is part of a competition funded by the BBSRC EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the most important threats to human health and wellbeing. Given the continued lack of novel antibiotics, there is a pressing need to optimise the usage of current antibiotics. To do this we need to improve our understanding of the fundamental evolutionary dynamics which drive resistance. In particular, we do not fully understand when bacteria will evolve predictably in response to antibiotics and when bacteria will evolve more idiosyncratically. Simple laboratory experiments have identified two leading factors: population size and selection intensity. However, our knowledge is limited to these very simple laboratory experiments involving a single selection pressure. Do we expect population size and selection intensity to be as strongly linked to repeatability in more complex environments where multiple selection pressures are operating at once?
The goal of this studentship is to empirically test when and why the antibiotic resistance follows a predictable path. In collaboration with the supervisory team the student will generate novel hypotheses about the repeatability of evolution, and then test these hypotheses using experimental evolution.
Key questions:
- Do the results of simple laboratory experiments still hold when we increase complexity?
- Is phenotypic evolution more predictable than genotypic evolution?
- Is evolution by mutation more predictable than evolution involving mobile genetic elements such as transposons?
This project will be based in the School of Biological Sciences at the university of Aberdeen, under the supervision of Dr Tom Vogwill and Dr David Fisher. The project will use an exciting mixture of experimental evolution, laboratory microbiology, molecular biology, and bioinformatics. The project’s goal is to understand the repeatability of evolution, in particular what happens when we start adding complexity to otherwise simple systems. The ideal candidate will have recently completed either an undergraduate or post-graduate degree in evolutionary biology or microbiology. This project would suit someone interested in both the antibiotic resistance crisis and the development of evolutionary theory. The student will receive state of the art training in laboratory molecular microbiology, experimental design, and bioinformatics.
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ELIGIBILITY:
- Applicants should hold a minimum of a 2:1 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject. Those with a 2:2 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) may be considered, provided they have (or are expected to achieve) a Distinction or Commendation at master’s level.
- All students must meet the eligibility criteria as outlined in the UKRI guidance on UK, EU and international candidates. This guidance should be read in conjunction with the UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditions, esp. TGC 5.2 & Annex B.
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APPLICATION PROCEUDRE:
- Please visit this page for full application information: How to apply | eastbio (eastscotbiodtp.ac.uk)
- Please send your completed EASTBIO application form, along with academic transcripts to Alison Innes at: [Email Address Removed]
- Two references should be provided by the deadline using the EASTBIO reference form. References should be sent to [Email Address Removed]
- Unfortunately, due to workload constraints, we cannot consider incomplete applications.
- CV's submitted directly through a FindAPhD enquiry WILL NOT be considered.
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