PhD Studentship: Nationwide Clostridioides Difficile Population Dynamics

The bacterium Clostridioides difficile is an important cause of diarrhoeal illness, particularly in the elderly and those undergoing antibiotic therapy. C. difficile infections (CDI) are difficult to treat and prevent due to the ability of C. difficile to produce robust spores that can survive most cleaning regimens. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of CDI have increased in the United Kingdom, but the drivers behind this public health issue have not been identified. In this project, we will use a dataset of C. difficile genome sequences to generate a nationwide population snapshot of this pathogen. This will allow the identification of clones that have recently emerged and spread in both healthcare institutions and the wider community, and will provide insights into the extent by which C. difficile can spread between these different settings. We will also determine antibiotic susceptibilities and identify known antibiotic resistance determinants in C. difficile and, through the implementation of genome-wide association methodologies, discover novel resistance genes or mutations, primarily those that contribute to resistance against antibiotics that are currently used for the treatment of CDI. The project will thus reveal whether bacterial factors are driving the recent increase in CDI rates. This information can be used to develop novel prevention and treatment strategies.

This project is part of an exciting new Doctoral Training Programme in Microbial Genomics for Health Protection in collaboration with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). This is funded by NIHR as part of a Health Protection Unit in Public Health Genomics between the University of Birmingham and UKHSA. In addition to the extensive training offered to all PhD students at UoB, the cohort of students on this DTP will receive training and opportunities at both UoB and UKHSA in the area of public health genomics.

The project will be supervised by Prof Willem van Schaik (w.vanschaik@bham.ac.uk), Dr David Williams (UKHSA) and Prof Alan McNally.

Applications of a two page CV and covering letter including your experience, suitability and motivation should be sent to hpru-phgenomics@contacts.bham.ac.uk by 31st July 2025 via the above 'Apply' button. 

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