The University of Bath is inviting applications for this PhD opportunity commencing in October 2021. The successful student will be based at the Milner Centre for Evolution, a unique, cross-faculty research centre bridging biology, health and education.
Funding is available to candidates who qualify for ‘Home’ fee status only. Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, the rules governing fee status have changed and, therefore, candidates from the EU/EEA are advised to check their eligibility before applying. Please see the Funding Eligibility section below.
Bacterial genomes tend to lose genes faster than they gain them, and this deletion pressure is thought to have evolved as a defence against parasitic DNA. Intuitively the loss of genes, or gene function, in natural populations, is likely incur a fitness cost and in some cases might be lethal to the bacterial cell. However, functional redundancy within bacterial genomes often means that a given function can be performed by more than one gene product, in which case the fitness cost of gene loss may be minimal. The loss of gene function is even known to be selectively advantageous, at least in the short term, under certain circumstances. This project will exploit the availability of publicly available genome sequence datasets for key bacterial pathogens, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. Tens of thousands of genomes are available for these species from wide range of human, animal and environmental settings. The microvariation within these genomes will be assayed using the latest bioinformatics tools. The aims of the project are to i) identify positively selected loss-of-function-mutations, ii) estimate the total number of essential genes where loss-of-function mutations do not arise under natural conditions, iii) understand the phenotypic and fitness consequences of loss-of-function mutations that are commonly observed in natural populations.
Candidate Requirements:
We require a First Class or good Upper Second Class Honours degree (or the equivalent). A master’s level qualification would also be advantageous.
Non-UK applicants must meet our English language entry requirement.
Enquiries and Applications:
Candidates are encouraged to discuss the project directly with the lead supervisor, Prof Edward Feil ([Email Address Removed]), before applying.
Formal applications should be made via the University of Bath’s online application form.
On the application form, quote ‘Evolution Education Trust’ in the Finance section and the supervisor’s name and project title in the ‘Your research interests’ section. If applying for more than one project, quote the projects in order of preference and upload a separate personal statement relevant to each one.
Your application must be complete when you submit it to us. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. Please ensure you have completed all fields on the application form and supplied the contact details of TWO referees who are available and willing to provide us with a reference when requested (one must be from your most recent place of study). In addition, you should ensure that you have uploaded all the required documents. See our website for more information.
Interviews will take place on Monday 19 April 2021.
Funding Eligibility:
In order to be considered for a studentship, you must qualify as a ‘Home’ student. In determining ‘Home’ student status, we follow the UK government’s fee regulations which, when available, will be explained on the UKCISA website. Although the fee regulations for 2021/22 have not yet been published, but we expect (subject to confirmation) the main categories of students generally eligible for ‘Home’ fee status will be:
- UK nationals (who have lived in the UK, EU, EEA or Switzerland continuously since September 2018)
- Irish nationals (who have lived in the UK or Ireland continuously since September 2018)
- EU/EEA applicants with settled status in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme (who have lived in the UK continuously since September 2018)
- EU/EEA applicants with pre-settled status in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme (who have lived in the UK, EU, EEA, Switzerland or Gibraltar continuously since September 2018)
- Applicants with indefinite leave to enter/remain in the UK (who have been resident in the UK continuously since September 2018)
EU/EEA citizens who live outside the UK are unlikely to be eligible for ‘Home’ fees and funding.
Additional information may be found on our fee status guidance webpage and on the GOV.UK website.
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