Integrated approaches to investigating bacterial pathogens for public health benefit

This project is part of the DPhil in Biology at the University of Oxford

Bacteria have been on the planet for 3.5 billion years and are found in all environments. Bacterial pathogens of animals and humans have evolved on multiple occasions from this ancient and diverse population.

In the Maiden Lab we adopt a highly collaborative, explicitly evolutionary, and ecological approach to understanding bacterial diseases, which aims to unify genomic studies with functional investigations of disease-associated phenotypes. Our group includes scientists and clinicians. Specific areas of research include meningococcal disease, campylobacteriosis, and bioinformatics. We have interests in translational public health interventions including vaccination, antimicrobial resistance, pathogenesis, and source attribution.

There are a range of projects that could be developed within our programme. Specific graduate student projects in the recent past or currently ongoing Include: Antibiotic resistance in Campylobacter; The evolution of surface structures of the gonococcus and vaccination; The population impacts of meningococcal vaccination campaigns; Genomic approaches to assessing meningococcal vaccine impact; Genomic epidemiology of the Salmonella and Camplylobacter. Genomics of meningococcal disease in Africa; and The evolution of the capsule locus in Neisseria.

We encourage prospective applicants to get in touch with us to discuss project options.

Further details on our work can be found at: https://maidenlab.zoo.ox.ac.uk/ and at https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=hRs1KjoAAAAJ&hl=en.

Projects with this lab are part of the Microbiology & Infectious Disease theme in the Department of Biology.

Funding

This project is part of the DPhil in Biology programme, and is not a funded course at the University of Oxford, as such, students are expected to explore options for funding. However, we anticipate being able to offer around 6 full graduate scholarships to incoming DPhil Students in 2023-24

You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships, if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by 20 January 2023. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement and potential to excel as a DPhil student. 

For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit the University’s dedicated Funding pages.

Eligibility

For full entry requirements and eligibility information, please see the main admissions page.

How to apply

The deadline for applications for 2023-2024 entry is midday 20 January 2023. We will continue to accept applications submitted after 20 January 2023, but these late applications will not be considered for scholarship funding.

You can find the admissions portal and further information about eligibility and the DPhil in Biology Programme at the University's graduate admissions page.