PhD Studentship in Molecular Microbiology - Biosynthesis of the Bacterial Cell Well, One Molecule at a Time

Award Summary

100% of home tuition fees paid and an annual stipend (living expenses) of £17,668. Successful international candidates will be required to fund the difference between the home fees and international fees.

Overview

Do you want to watch individual proteins as they build the bacterial cell wall in real-time?

Many antibiotics target the bacterial cell wall. Because of its importance, the mechanism of wall assembly has been heavily studied in model species like E. coli, which builds its wall along the sides of the rod-shaped cell. However, bacteria are extremely diverse, and many—including the devastating global pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis—build their cell wall from their poles rather than their sides.

In this PhD, you will use cutting-edge fluorescence microscopy to investigate how pole-growing bacteria build their cell walls. Specifically, you will use single-particle tracking and super-resolution imaging to measure the dynamics and localization of the cytoskeleton and cell wall synthases in Corynebacterium glutamicum—a non-pathogenic relative of M. tuberculosis widely used in biotechnology—with a powerful new microscopy method where cells stand vertically inside bacteria-shaped holes.

You will be based in the Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, a world-class research centre. You will develop solid hands-on knowledge of molecular biology and genetics techniques, as well as ample expertise in advanced fluorescence microscopy.

Number of awards: 1

Start date: 18^th September 2023

Award duration: The funding covers a three-year PhD.

Sponsor: Newcastle University

Supervisors: Dr Kevin Whitley – Biosciences Institute 

Eligibility criteria

At least a 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent, in a subject relating to biomedical sciences, including microbiology and biochemistry. Further qualification such as an MRes is advantageous. 

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. 

How to apply

To apply for a studentship, you must register and 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 can search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8420F
• Select ‘PhD Biosciences (FT)' as the programme of study

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ section:

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form
• The studentship code BI064 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field
• When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert - you do not need to upload a research proposal.

In addition, before you submit your application you will need to upload the following supporting documentation:

• Covering letter and CV. The covering letter must state the title of the studentship, quote reference code BI064 and state how your interests and experience relate to the project
• Degree transcripts and certificates and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualification if already completed.

You will not be able to submit your application until you have submitted all required documents/information.

Contact details: Dr. Kevin Whitley

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