Post Summary
Project title: “Bridging the gap between environment and patient; investigating the risk and transmission of antifungal resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus” (GAP-AFR)
Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem, and the rapid emergence of drug resistance of human fungal infections is of high concern. Antifungal resistance to azoles in Aspergillus fumigatus, a pathogen which causes significant infections in the most vulnerable groups of patients, is an emerging concern in Ireland and globally. Exposure to azole fungicides in the environment is a major driving force for resistance selection and multi-azole resistant A. fumigatus genotypes are globally detected in clinical isolates. Unfortunately, insufficient research efforts and opportunities in the past have resulted in a lack of surveillance systems to track antifungal resistant A. fumigatus.
This project aims to begin a multi-national surveillance of antifungal resistance in A. fumigatus. Led by Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands, the newly funded scientific study, “Development of innovative strategies, tools, technologies, and methods for diagnostics and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance” will bring 7 leading European research teams together to better understand the epidemiology and evolution of antifungal resistance and its management in the future. We will develop tools to detect the emergence of dual-use antifungal resistance and provide appropriate risk assessments strategies. In addition, we aim to bridge the gap between environment and patient by using air sampling surveillance to investigate the exposure risk of antifungal resistant A. fumigatus in a wide range of geographical areas (including EU and Africa).
For more on the project https://www.tcd.ie/medicine/research/news/2024/tackling-the-global-scourge-of-antifungal-resistance-/
Academic Research Partners
- Eveline Snelders, Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands (Coordinator)
- Michael Bromley, University of Manchester, United Kingdom (Partner)
- Jorge Amich, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain (Partner)
- Alida Fe Talento, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland (Partner)
- Felix Bongomin, Gulu University, Uganda (Partner)
- Laurence Millon, University Hospital of Besançon, France (Partner)
- Matthew Fisher, Imperial College London, United Kingdom (Observer)
The research fellow will be hosted in the Discipline of Clinical Microbiology which is based in the Sir Patrick Dun Laboratory on the St James’s Hospital campus and is located adjacent to the Hospital’s Diagnostic Microbiology laboratory. The department is part of the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute (TTMI) and has access to the wide array of facilities in this institute (https://www.tcd.ie/ttmi/ ). The Diagnostic Microbiology Laboratory is the largest in the country with a broad repertoire of tests being performed in bacteriology, virology and serology, and also accommodates the national MRSA Reference Laboratory, and the Irish Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory. The department has a long-standing interest in fungal diseases with the working groups of Prof Julie Renwick, Prof Tom Rogers, and Prof Johannes Wagener, and has recently been awarded diamond status by the European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM) as the only centre of excellence for fungal diagnostics in Ireland (https://www.ecmm.info/ecmm-excellence-centers/ ).
Person Specification
Qualifications
- Applicants must have a PhD in a relevant area such as microbiology and/ or molecular biology. Applicants must be highly organised and able to coordinate a project therefore previous postdoctoral experience or experience in a coordination role would be desirable.
Knowledge & Experience (Essential & Desirable)
- Prior experience working in microbiology (essential) and/ or mycology (desirable)
- Prior experience working with A. fumigatus would be particularly desirable.
- Air sampling experience (desirable)
- Molecular microbiology e.g. DNA isolation, PCR, qPCR, sequencing (essential).
- Microbiology background and experience with basic microbiology techniques e.g. culturing, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, growth curves, bioburden assessments (essential).
Skills & Competencies
- Communication skills must be excellent as this project requires interaction with various research groups, supervisors and stakeholders on a national and international level.
- Management, coordination and/ or leaderships experience.
- Excellent organisation skills.
Application Procedure
Applicants should submit a full Curriculum Vitae to include the names and contact details of 2 referees (including email addresses), to:
At Trinity, we are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Trinity welcomes applications from all individuals, including those applicants with disabilities, those who may have had non-traditional career paths, those who have taken time out for reasons including family or caring responsibilities. We also welcome international applicants including those whom have been displaced due to war.
We are ranked 3rd in the world for gender equality (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2020) and we hold an Athena SWAN Bronze award, recognising our work to advance gender equality. The University is actively pursuing a Silver level award, which it has committed to achieving by 2025. Trinity is committed to supporting the work-life balance and to creating a family-friendly working environment
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