Qualification Type: | PhD |
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Location: | Newcastle upon Tyne |
Funding for: | UK Students |
Funding amount: | £17,668 - please see advert |
Hours: | Full Time |
Placed On: | 6th February 2023 |
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Closes: | 1st March 2023 |
Reference: | ENG109 |
Award summary
100% fees covered, and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £17,668 (2022-23 UKRI rate), plus an additional contribution of £4,000 from Unilever).
Overview
We are looking for an ambitious research student to work with us on an exciting project: understanding the human microbiome. This work will contribute to the evaluation of products’ safety, as part of the safe by design Unilever products policy.
Direct experimentation on microbiome can be successfully mimicked in biofilm bioreactors or by appropriate modelling. This project will combine these two approaches for the oral microbiome. The objective is to develop a dynamic mathematical approach considering abiotic factors and metabolism in a well-defined microbiome and calibrate the models with experimental measurements. The student will develop high-quality quantitative metabolic models for oral biofilm species and a dynamic mathematical model to include the effect of pH and oxygen availability on metabolism/kinetics. This will enable the prediction of interactions between bacteria in a community and the assessment of factors affecting microbiome composition and temporal changes. The final goal is to integrate this approach in an individual based model developed for the invasion of the pathogen S. mutans into biofilms.
Number of awards: 1
Start date: 18th September 2023
Award duration: 4 years
Sponsor
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
Supervisors
Dr. Dana Ofiţeru, School of Engineering
Prof. Nicholas Jakubovics, School of Dental Sciences
Eligibility criteria
You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a relevant subject or subject relevant to the proposed PhD project ((bio)chemical engineering, biotechnology, microbiology, or a related subject). Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.
Home and international applicants (inc. EU) are welcome to apply and if successful will receive a full studentship. Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills.
International applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme.
How to apply
You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal
Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.
Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:
You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Questions’ section:
Contact details
For further details, please contact:
Dr. Dana Ofiteru, dana.ofiteru@ncl.ac.uk
Prof. Nicholas Jakubovics, nick.jakubovics@ncl.ac.uk
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