Novel Bacterial-based Biosensors for Microbial Community Sensing

Apply and key information  

This project is funded by:

• DfE, as part of a successful externally funded US-Ireland grant through the National Science Foundation (NSF), USA.

Summary

Understanding bacterial evolution is essential to tackling emerging threats to both human health and the global environment.  In the recent past we have discovered that bacteria communicate with each other using a type of chemical language. This helps them to coordinate attacks on their human hosts and to develop ways to avoid being killed by antibiotics. The project will develop biosensors to detect bacterial communication under a variety of clinically relevant conditions such as growth in chronic wounds and formation of biofilm. We believe that if we can interfere with communication we can disrupt the ability of bacterial to cause infection. A deeper understanding of bacterial communication will allow for the development of early warning systems to pre-empt the development of full-blown infection and allow for more targeted, and therefore more efficient, antibiotic therapy.

Important Information

Applications for more than one PhD studentship are welcome, however if you apply for more than one PhD project within Biomedical Sciences, your first application on the system will be deemed your first-choice preference and further applications will be ordered based on the sequential time of submission. If you are successfully shortlisted, you will be interviewed only on your first-choice application and ranked accordingly. Those ranked highest will be offered a PhD studentship. In the situation where you are ranked highly and your first-choice project is already allocated to someone who was ranked higher than you, you may be offered your 2nd or 3rd choice project depending on the availability of this project.

Essential criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.

We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.

In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.

• Sound understanding of subject area as evidenced by a comprehensive research proposal
• A comprehensive and articulate personal statement

Desirable Criteria

If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.

• First Class Honours (1st) Degree
• Completion of Masters at a level equivalent to commendation or distinction at Ulster
• Practice-based research experience and/or dissemination
• Experience using research methods or other approaches relevant to the subject domain
• Work experience relevant to the proposed project
• Publications record appropriate to career stage
• Experience of presentation of research findings

Funding and eligibility

This project is funded by:

• DfE, as part of a successful externally funded US-Ireland grant through the National Science Foundation (NSF), USA.

The University offers the following levels of support:

Vice Chancellors Research Studentship (VCRS)

The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:

• Full Award: (full-time tuition fees + £19,000 (tbc))
• Part Award: (full-time tuition fees + £9,500)
• Fees Only Award: (full-time tuition fees)

These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.

Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.

Department for the Economy (DFE)

The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).

This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.

• Candidates with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, who also satisfy a three year residency requirement in the UK prior to the start of the course for which a Studentship is held MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance.
• Republic of Ireland (ROI) nationals who satisfy three years’ residency in the UK prior to the start of the course MAY receive a Studentship covering fees and maintenance (ROI nationals don’t need to have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to qualify).
• Other non-ROI EU applicants are ‘International’ are not eligible for this source of funding.
• Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.

Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living

Recommended reading

A Novel Biofilm Model System to Visualise Conjugal Transfer of Vancomycin Resistance by Environmental Enterococci. Conwell, M., Dooley, JSG., & Naughton, PJ. 2021. Microorganisms. 9(4): 789. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9040789

Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA80 is a cystic fibrosis isolate deficient in RhlRI quorum sensing. Ahmed SAKS, Rudden M, Elias SM, Smyth TJ, Marchant R, Banat IM, & Dooley JSG. 2021. Scientific Reports. 11:5729. Doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-85100-0

Microscopic investigation of the combined use of antibiotics and biosurfactants on methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus., Juma, A., Lemoine, P., Simpson, ABJ., Murray, J., O'Hagan, BM., Naughton, PJ., Dooley, JSG. & Banat, IM. 2020. Frontiers in Microbiology 11:1477.https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01477

Seymour I, O’Sullivan B, Lovera P, Rohan JF, O’Riordan A. Electrochemical detection of free-chlorine in Water samples facilitated by in-situ pH control using interdigitated microelectrodes. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. 2020 Dec 15;325:128774.

Natural quorum sensing inhibitors effectively downregulate gene expression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factors. Ahmed, S., Rudden, M., Smyth, TJ., Dooley, J., Marchant, R. & Banat, I. 2019. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 103: 3521-3535.

Wasiewska LA, Diaz FG, Shao H, Burgess CM, Duffy G, O'Riordan A. Highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for the detection of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) using interdigitated micro-electrodes selectively modified with a chitosan-gold nanocomposite. Electrochimica Acta. 2022 Sep 10;426:140748.

Competent but complex communication: The phenomena of pheromone-responsive plasmids Sterling AJ, Snelling WJ , Naughton PJ ,Ternan NG , Dooley JSG. 2020. PLoS Pathogens 16(4): e1008310 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008310

Somathilaka, S., Martins, D. P., Barton, W., O’Sullivan, O., Cotter, P.D., Balasubramaniam, S., “A Graph-based Molecular Communications Model Analysis of the Human Gut Bacteriome”, IEEE Journal of Biomedical Health and Informatics, vol. 26, no.7, July 2022.

Islam, N., Pal, S., Balasubramaniam, S., Misra, S., “Energy-Aware Tracking of Mobile Targets by Bacterial Nanonetworks”, IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, vol. 20, no. 9, 2021

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