This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP).
Project Description:
The production of mine waste comes at great socio-economic and environmental costs. There is a clear need for sustainable strategies that allow for rapid recovery of mining sites with minimal intervention.
While researchers have started using microbes to clean up mine waste, they have mainly done so in the context of single species. But this is too simplistic: microbes work much better as a community in a division of labour. When different species work together to detoxify metals, this is predicted to improve remediation. However, not all individuals might pay their fair share and cheat the system. This classic problem is well understood in evolutionary biology for single species, but not at the community level. This project aims to understand the conditions under which different species and individuals work together to detoxify metals by focusing on a key social trait: siderophores.
Microbes release siderophores into the environment in response to metal stress, where they bind metals and prevent them from being taken up and killing cells. Because detoxification takes place outside of the cell, the system is open to the invasion of ‘cheats’. Community-wide siderophore levels are thus shaped by a balance between local detoxifying benefits and costs associated with exploitation. The first major aim of the project is to determine how theoretically important variables - notably tilling and fertiliser - affect siderophore production and detoxification.
Siderophores not only play a key role in driving social interactions between microbes, but also in plant-microbe feedbacks. These feedbacks are ubiquitous and a crucial determinant of their combined functioning. For example, plants and microbes produce signals that affect each other’s behaviour, often to mutual benefit. However, we have little understanding of how these interactions are affected by cooperation and conflict within the interacting microbial communities. The second aim is to determine how siderophore-based cooperation in the rhizosphere affects the efficacy of phytoremediation, which relies on the synergistic action between plants and microbes to clean up toxic metal waste.
We will achieve these aims using a highly interdisciplinary approach. Depending on the preference of the candidate, these will include theory (Kuijper, Gardner), microbiology (Buckling, Hesse), metal chemistry (Hudsen-Edwards), soil biology (Hudsen-Edwards, Buckling, Hesse), and plant physiology (Sanchez Vilas, Hesse).
Eligibility
To be eligible for a fully-funded studentship, you must meet both the academic and residence criteria.
A fully-funded four year SWBio DTP studentship will cover
• a stipend* at the standard Research Council UK rate; currently £15,609 per annum for 2022-23
• research and training costs
• tuition fees (at the standard Research Councils UK rate)
• additional funds to support fieldwork, conferences and a 3-month internship
Please refer to the regulations or Annex 1 of the Research Council Training Grant Guide to confirm that you meet the residence criteria for a fully-funded studentship. Any further queries in relation to residency must be directed to the institution that you are applying to.
* An enhanced stipend is available for students with a recognised veterinary degree qualification (£24,090 per annum for 2022-2023). There may also be enhanced stipends associated with projects that have a CASE partner (CASE projects are highlighted as *CASE in the project lists).
Entry Requirements
Applicants should have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of science or technology. Applicants with a Lower Second Class degree will be considered if they also have Masters degree or have significant relevant non-academic experience.
In addition, due to the strong mathematical component of the taught course in the first year and the quantitative emphasis in our projects, a minimum of a grade B in A-level Maths or an equivalent qualification or experience is required.
Equivalent qualifications/experience
Physics A-level (grade B and above)
Undertaking units as part of your degree that have a significant mathematical component*
*Significant mathematical component examples include; maths, statistics, bioinformatics.
Applicants must ensure they highlight their Maths background within their application and to upload any supporting evidence.
Language Requirements
If English is not your first language you will need to have achieved at least 6.5 in IELTS and no less than 6.5 in any section by the start of the project. Alternative tests may be acceptable, please see http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/language-requirements/profile-c/.
How to apply
In order to formally apply for the PhD Project you will need to go to the following web page.
https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/funding/award/?id=4277
The closing date for applications is midnight on Monday 6th December 2021.
Interviews will be held between Monday 24th January – Friday 4th February 2022.
If you have any general enquiries about the application process please email [Email Address Removed] or phone: 0300 555 60 60 (UK callers) or +44 (0) 1392 723044 (EU/International callers). Project-specific queries should be directed to the main supervisor.
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