Molecular resolution microscopy for understanding host-pathogen interactions and anti-microbial resistance.

Anti-microbial resistance (AMR) is a growing societal threat that needs to be tackled now if we are going to avoid major public health issues in the next few decades. Recent developments in microscopy techniques and physical methods, in particular super-resolution optics, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and cryo-electron microscopy, provide a range of new approaches for understanding how bacteria interact with the host (e.g. us) and ultimately why some infections are cleared by our immune response and others are not. This project aims to bring these new approaches together to tackle this challenge, making use of the unique facilities available in Sheffield (http://www.imagine-imaginglife.com/) in combination with extensive expertise in host-pathogen interactions and AMR (http://www.floreyinstitute.com/). The project is funded as part of an MRC AMR network, and the successful student will form part of an interdisciplinary cohort across the universities that form the network (Sheffield, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Birmingham). This position is suitable for a physical scientist (physicist, chemist, biophysicist etc) with an interest in applying their knowledge to biological systems, or a biological scientist with an aptitude for physical and technological approaches.