A View to a Kill: Using Cutting-Edge Microscopy to Study Predatory Bacteria

An EPSRC studentship (with the standard financial and student eligibility conditions) is available at the University of York for an experimental project on the biophysics of bacterial predation. This project will involve high-performance optical microscopy, including 3D cell tracking using a high speed holographic microscope, and a high-resolution fluorescence microscope in the labs of Laurence Wilson (Physics) and Christoph Baumann (Biology), respectively.


Antibiotic resistance is becoming increasingly common, requiring an urgent review of antimicrobial strategies. Among the more radical approaches in this area, the idea of using competitive and predatory microorganisms to treat infections is gaining ground. A growing body of microbiological and genetic work has helped to explain the lifestyles of these predatory therapeutic agents, but new insight can be gained by using techniques from the physical sciences. We propose to use the specialist microscopy capability in our labs at the University of York in order to study how the predatory bacterial species Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus targets and destroys its prey.


This project will provide the student with specialised training in cutting-edge microscopy techniques combined with applied microbiological and mathematical skills. Professional skills training will also be provided through our established doctoral training programmes. The student will also improve their professional skills by attending the supervisors’ lab meetings, departmental seminars and research conferences, and participating in outreach activities. The student will join a vibrant crossdisciplinary community of PhD students.


This project is suitable for an applicant with a background in engineering or the physical sciences who is interested in using physical techniques to understand microbiological systems, and participating in a multi-faceted initiative to develop novel antibacterial approaches. The student will have a base in the Departments of Physics and Biology, and will benefit from our network of collaborators in the home departments, and the Biological Physical Sciences Institute (e.g. academic researchers in Maths and Chemistry). During the project, we will also seek input from the lab of Prof. Liz Sockett (University of Nottingham), who has established expertise in the microbiology of Bdellovibrio.