PhD Studentship: Exploring how Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Uses Nutrients

Application deadline: All year round

For one candidate

This 3.5-year PhD project is fully funded and home students are eligible to apply. The successful candidate will receive an annual tax-free stipend set at the UKRI rate (£21,805 for 2026/27) and tuition fees will be paid. We expect the stipend to increase each year. The start date is October 2026.

We recommend that you apply early as the advert may be removed before the deadline.

This PhD project will investigate how Mycobacterium tuberculosis utilises nutrients and how changes in nutrient transport influence pathogen biology by combining microbiology, biochemical and analytical approaches.

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), remains the leading cause of death worldwide from a single bacterial pathogen. The latest World Health Organisation report estimates that ~1.3 million people died from TB in 2024 and more than 10 million were diagnosed with the disease. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutic and diagnostic strategies to control this major global health challenge.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a remarkably successful and unusual pathogen that can survive in the human body for decades. However, we still do not fully understand which nutrients this pathogen can access and use during infection. This project will use a combination of microbiology, genetic, biochemical and analytical techniques to determine the nutrients that M. tuberculosis uses to survive and reveal how pathogen biology is altered when the nutrient transport is disrupted. This builds on our previous work (for example PMID: 40818611, 39144457, 34296047) and will provide new insights into how M. tuberculosis adapts and survives in the human host. By understanding how nutrient utilisation shapes pathogen biology, we have an opportunity to exploit this knowledge to develop new strategies to combat this deadly pathogen.

This exciting interdisciplinary PhD project will be based at the University of Manchester, within the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology and the Michael Smith building. The successful candidate will receive multidisciplinary training across microbiology, biochemical and analytical methods while working within a collaborative research environment with access to world-class facilities and expertise. This provides a unique opportunity to address a global health challenge while developing new approaches to manipulate the biology of an important human pathogen.

Applicants should have, or be about to obtain, at least a 2.1 UK honours degree and ideally hold a master’s level qualification at merit or distinction (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject. Applicants with a strong interest in pathogen biochemistry are encouraged to apply. Research experience in microbiology and analytical methods is desirable. 

To apply, please contact the main supervisor Prof Elizabeth Fullam elizabeth.fullam@manchester.ac.uk and let her know that you have seen the advert on jobs.ac.uk. Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.

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