PhD Studentship in Microbiology at the Aston University, UK

Applications are invited for a three-year Postgraduate studentship, supported by the College of Health and Life Sciences and Colgate Palmolive, to be undertaken within the Biosciences Research Group at Aston University.  The successful applicant will join an established experimental group working on microbiology and ageing.

Summary

Project Description

Recent advances in high throughput sequencing techniques have facilitated the microbiome’s description with a wide range of applications. Current platforms enable the full molecular description of complex microbial communities and have furthered our understanding of the host-microbiome interaction and the influence of the microbiota on health. Oral and skin microbiomes are rich and diverse and potentially associated with health and disease as we age.

The student will work towards furthering our understanding of the oral/skin microbiome of older adults. Samples collected from older adults in a variety of community-dwelling settings will be profiled for the bacterial taxa present in a population of adults. 

Associated clinicopathological information, including age, sex, frailty score, body composition, and physical activity, will be recorded. In addition to characterising the oral/skin microbiomes, cultivable populations will also be investigated and further characterised using phenotypic assays to assess characteristics of the microbiome associated with the same demographics described above.

Application Deadline

The deadline for application is March 11, 2021

Award Information

• This studentship includes a fee bursary to cover the Home fees rate plus a maintenance allowance of at least £15,285.
• Overseas applicants may apply for this studentship but will need to pay the difference between the ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees.
• Currently, the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £13,443 in 2020/1. 
• As part of the application, you will be required to confirm that you have applied for, or secured, this additional funding.

Eligibility Criteria

The successful applicant should have been awarded, or expect to achieve, a Masters degree in a relevant subject with a 60% or higher weighted average and/or a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (or equivalent qualification from an overseas institution) in biology, microbiology, biomedical science or a related area. Preferred skill requirements include knowledge/experience of microbiological techniques.

Application Process

Details of how to submit your application and the necessary supporting documents can be found here. 

• The application should be accompanied by a “research proposal” statement. An original proposal is not required as the initial scope of the project has been defined; candidates should take this opportunity to detail how their knowledge and experience will benefit the project and should also be accompanied by a brief review of relevant research literature.
• Please include the supervisor name, project title, and project reference in your Personal Statement.
• If you require further information about the application process, please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team at pgr_admisssions@aston.ac.uk

Contact information

For formal enquiries about this project, contact Professor Anthony Hilton at a.c.hilton@aston.ac.uk, or Dr Tony Worthington at t.worthington@aston.ac.uk, or Dr James Brown at j.e.p.brown@aston.ac.uk.

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