About the Project
The South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP) is a BBSRC-funded PhD training programme in the biosciences, delivered by a consortium comprising the Universities of Bristol (lead), Bath, Cardiff, Exeter, and Rothamsted Research. Together, these institutions present a distinctive cadre of bioscience research staff and students with established international, national and regional networks and widely recognised research excellence. The partnership has a strong track record in advancing knowledge through high quality research and teaching in partnership with industry and government.
This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP). Up to 4 fully-funded studentships are being offered to start in September 2018 at the University of Exeter.
Supervisory team:
Main supervisor: Dr David Richards
Co-supervisor: Dr Mike Deeks
Co-supervisor: Prof Christian Soeller
Co-supervisor: Dr Stefano Pagliara
Location: University of Exeter, Streatham Campus, Exeter
Project description:
Understanding how plants respond when pathogens attack is of vital importance. This is especially true since 90% of all calorie intake worldwide comes directly from crop plants. When these crops fail, such as during the historic potato famine in Ireland and the more recent Cassava famine in Uganda, millions of deaths can result.
During infection, plant cells move their immune defences to the site of infection with the aim of repelling the invader. However, it is not known how these immune defences are moved. Is the whole process due to passive diffusion or are more active mechanisms at work? Are the relevant molecules wrapped up in individual packages or can they jump from package to package? If questions like these are understood, then it may be possible to improve the plant immune response in order to develop stronger resistance and safeguard crop production for the future.
In this PhD project, you will examine the relative contribution of these (and other) behaviours during the plant immune response.You will achieve this using a multidisciplinary approach that combines mathematical modelling, image analysis, super-resolution microscopy and traditional biological wet-lab experiments. This combination of disciplines often leads to the best results and will allow you to learn a wide range of different skills and techniques. You are not expected to already know both mathematical modelling and wet lab techniques. Full training will be provided in both areas during the PhD. In particular, you will;
1. Design mathematical models of plant vesicle motion that include vesicle diffusion, protein exchange between nearby vesicles, active vesicle motion towards the infection site, and vesicle tethering. Other factors such as subdiffusion and confined diffusion will also be considered. These models will then be simulated on a computer using MATLAB or C++.
2. Perform experiments with the plant Arabidopsis to obtain movies of motile vesicles labelled using fluorescent cargoes.
3. Use super-resolution microscopy to better define the spatial distribution of trafficked material.
4. Develop image analysis software to automatically extract and track vesicle position. This will allow quick, accurate analysis of movies from part 2, which will in turn inform the mathematical modelling. This interplay between experiment and modelling is a key part of this project and will make for an exciting PhD.
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.
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/.
Students from EU countries who do not meet the residency requirements may still be eligible for a fees-only award but no stipend. Applicants who are classed as International for tuition fee purposes are not eligible for funding. Further information about eligibility can be found in the following document: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/documents/studentship-eligibility-pdf/
Funding Notes
For UK/EU nationals who meet the residency requirements outlined by the BBSRC, the studentship will cover funding for 4 years (48 months) as follows. These awards might be available to part-time students, but only in exceptional circumstances, in which case the funding will be paid on a pro-rata basis.
• Stipend at the standard Research Council UK rate; currently £14,553 per annum for 2017-2018
• Research and training costs
• Tuition fees (standard Research Councils UK rate)
• Additional funds to support fieldwork, conferences and a 3-month internship
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