Dr David Bolam
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
The gut microbiota of many mammals, including humans and farmed animals, plays a critical role in the digestion of plant polysaccharides (often called dietary fibre) from crops and the products of this anaerobic fermentation provide major health benefits to the host. It is therefore important to understand the mechanisms by which prominent members of the gut microbiota interact with and degrade food/feed to inform both nutritional strategies to benefit host health, as well as facilitate development of novel crop traits aimed at maximising their health benefits (i.e. to develop varieties that are broken down more efficiently by the gut microbiota).
This studentship is a collaboration between Dr David Bolam’s and Dr Jon Marles-Wright’s labs at Newcastle and Dr Dan Rigden’s lab at Liverpool aimed at furthering our understanding of how the gut microbiota of humans and animals interacts with and processes dietary fibre.
The student will utilise a range of cutting edge bioinformatics techniques at Liverpool and biochemical, structural and cell biology techniques at Newcastle to characterise the main glycan degrading enzymes from key gut bacteria and understand their role in plant polysaccharide breakdown in the gut. The data generated will provide significant insight into the mechanism of fibre degradation by the gut microbiota and thus underpin the development of strategies designed to improve the nutritional value of plant based foods for both humans and farmed animals.
For further information see the website: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/camb/
To apply
Please complete the online application form and attach a full CV and covering letter. Informal enquiries may be made to [Email Address Removed]
Funding Notes
This is a 4 year BBSRC studentship under the Newcastle-Liverpool-Durham DTP. The successful applicant will receive research costs, tuition fees and stipend (£14,777 for 2018-19). The PhD will start in October 2019. Applicants should have, or be expecting to receive, a 2.1 Hons degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject. EU candidates must have been resident in the UK for 3 years in order to receive full support. There are 2 stages to the application process.
References
Cartmell A, Lowe AC, Baslé A, Firbank SJ, Ndeh DA, Murray H, Terrapon N, Lombard V, Henrissat B, Turnbull JE, Czjzek M, Gilbert HJ, Bolam DN. How members of the human gut microbiota overcome the sulfation problem posed by glycosaminoglycans. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. (2017) 114:7037-7042.