Dr G Schroeder, Prof J Bengoechea, Dr B Collins
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
The Schroeder Team at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine of Queen’s University Belfast is looking for an enthusiastic new member, motivated to undertake a PhD focussing on host-pathogen interaction and infection biology. You will join a dynamic, international team and work on an interdisciplinary project, aiming to dissect how the respiratory bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila, cause of the potentially fatal pneumonia Legionnaires’ disease, manipulates macrophages, key players of antibacterial immune defences.
L. pneumophila injects the highest number of virulence proteins, more than 300 so called effectors, of all bacterial pathogens into host cells. These effectors are key players for pathogenesis; but the function of the vast majority in host subversion is still elusive.
The few characterised effectors show unprecedented enzymatic activities and helped to reveal new mechanisms by which human cells function and respond to infection. The remaining pool of effectors represents huge untapped potential to discover new biology at the pathogen-host interface.
In this project, we aim to further unleash this and use cutting edge proteomics, imaging and cellular microbiology methods to uncover the role of new Legionella effectors in editing post-translational modifications and modulation of cellular processes in order to exploit host cells and cause disease.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
We are looking for graduates who are enthusiastic and strongly motivated to use the most innovative approaches to address key global challenges in infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, animal health, climate change and sustainability. Applicants should have a degree in biological sciences or a related discipline.
The minimum academic requirement is an Upper Second Class Honours degree from a UK or ROI HE provider (or qualifications deemed equivalent by the University).
Students wishing to apply to Queen’s University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language) must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. For more information on English Language requirements see www.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs
Funding Notes
The studentship will be funded by the Department for the Economy (DfE). Please read the full information on eligibility criteria: https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/publications/student-finance-postgraduate-studentships-terms-and-conditions
However, there may be flexibility to fund a small number of exceptional International applicants.
General enquiries about the programme may be directed to [Email Address Removed].
References
Please visit the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Experimental Medicine, website for further details about the Centre:
http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/CEM/
When applying, please choose 'MEDICINE' as your subject area/School.