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Available studentships are listed below. If these are not in the area you are interested in, you are still encouraged to make contact with potential PhD supervisors in the event that a studentship becomes available. See also: details of the application procedure.

PhD in Drug Discovery: Identification of new antibiotic gene clusters from basidiomycete fungi.

Supervisor : Prof Gary Foster & Dr Andy Bailey (School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol)

While the discovery of antibiotics had a major impact on health in the last century, in the present day we are faced with problems of antibiotic resistance, a major slow-down in the discovery of new antibiotics and an increasing population of immunocompromised patients which are prime candidates for microbial infections.  With an urgency to discover new antibiotics to meet present medical needs one such source may be basidiomycete (mushroom) fungi. Mushrooms have been widely used in traditional medicine as they produce hundreds of secondary metabolites, many of them having antibiotic or antitumor activity.  Antibiotics belong to a group of low molecular weight molecules called secondary metabolites, which are not necessary for growth of the producing organism but increases its survival ability and fungi produce a wide variety of such molecules.  The genes encoding secondary metabolites have been shown to be clustered in fungi and plants making them easy to identify once a key gene in the pathway has been found by sequencing adjacent genes. The fact that basidiomycetes have been insufficiently investigated, together with the broad range of secondary metabolites which are produced by these organisms, suggests that they may be a source of new and useful bioactive compounds. Unfortunately progress on the elucidation of the biosynthesis of these metabolites in basidiomycetes has been slow due to the lack of adequate molecular genetics tools for gene manipulation in these fungi.  In addition difficulties arise from the slow growth rate of some basidiomycetes and the low yields of products.  This research project will use a range of basidiomycetes for the identification of new antibiotic clusters. The student will then identify and sequence the cluster of genes involved in the synthesis of these antibiotics, then determine the structure of these antibiotics and the genes in the cluster by overexpression and gene silencing techniques.  Such studies will identify genes involved in core synthesis and tailoring reactions and help identify intermediary compounds. Such a system would put basidiomycetes back on the map as a source of much needed antibiotics.

The student will be joining a vibrant internationally recognised lab run jointly by Prof Gary Foster and Dr Andy Bailey working on the molecular biology/biotechnology of Basidiomycete fungi, in addition to interests in plant molecular biology, plant virology and plant:fungal interactions.

We are therefore seeking talented and motivated students in any aspect of molecular biology, biochemistry or genetics (with at least a first or upper second class degree in an appropriate subject or relevant MSc) to join our team and work towards a PhD exploring novel tools for drug discovery. The position will involve working in a stimulating multidisciplinary environment.

This PhD is available to start in Oct 2012, with a stipend of £13,500 and is open to UK and EU students. Interested applicants should send a covering letter explaining their interest in carrying out a PhD as well as a CV to Gary.Foster@bristol.ac.uk , along with names and contact details (including emails) for two academic referees. 

Deadline for applications is 5th April 2012.

Applications from self-funded students with finances secured are also welcomed to work in similar areas within the group.

ERC Funded PhD Studentship

'Function and occurrence of iridescence in tropical ferns'

Supervisor: Dr Heather Whitney, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG

Iridescence has been widely studied in animals such as butterflies and birds. It also occurs widely in plants, including over photosynthetic tissues, yet there has been relatively little investigation into its function. A diverse range of tropical fern species (examples include Elaphoglossum metallicum, Mapania caudata and Microsorum thailandicum) develop a metallic blue iridescence. This ERC funded studentship (starting in October 2012) will aim to investigate the genetic and morphological basis of iridescence in ferns and the possible adaptive advantages of its production, including how this structural colour may alter interactions with potential insect herbivores.

The project will use plant molecular biology and the worlds first academic iridescent plant collection to investigate iridescence in this group of plants. The project will also take advantage of the next-generation sequencing and state-of-the-art plant growth facilities available at Bristol, and the expertise in plant light signalling through collaboration with Dr Kerry Franklin’s group.

The project will be supervised by Dr Heather Whitney. To apply please send a CV and a cover letter explaining your suitability for the post to Heather Whitney, School of Biological Sciences, Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 3PZ, heather.whitney@bristol.ac.uk. Closing date 30th March 2012.

Gatsby Sainsbury PhD Studentship in Plant Science

‘Molecular basis and evolution of self-incompatibility in the Asteraceae’

Supervisor: Professor Simon Hiscock, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG  

Email: simon.hiscock@bristol.ac.uk   Tel: +44 (0)117 9546835

Enhanced four year postgraduate studentships starting in October 2012, will once again be awarded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts.

As one of 5 nominated supervisors Professor Hiscock will select a candidate who will then compete at interview, with Sainsbury Undergraduate students, for one of up to three Sainsbury PhD Studentships. Interviews will be held in London on Friday, 2 March 2012. It would be expected that the studentship holder spend six months during their 3rd or 4th year at another university/institute to gain additional experience.

Interested applicants should write to Professor Hiscock, attaching a CV, before 27 January 2012.

Background: Self-incompatibility (SI) - the inability of a fertile hermaphrodite flower to set seed after self-pollination is the most widespread and important mechanism preventing inbreeding in angiosperms. So great is the selective advantage of SI that it has evolved on numerous different occasions during angiosperm history. To date three different mechanisms of SI have been characterized at a molecular level: a receptor kinase/ligand system in the Brassicaceae, an RNase-based system in the Solanaceae, Rosaceae, and Plantaginaceae, and a receptor/calcium signalling system in the Papaveraceae. Another, as yet uncharacterized, system of SI is present in the Asteraceae (daisy family), the second largest family of flowering plants containing species of huge economic (e.g. sunflowers, lettuce) and ecological (invasive species and pernicious weeds) importance world-wide. The aim of this project is to identify and characterize the genes/proteins regulating this novel SI system and investigate their evolutionary history.

University of Bristol Scholarships

The university has a number of fully funded scholarships available for UK, EU and non-EU international students. These are highly competitive, so only students with outstanding undergraduate degrees (and perhaps also Masters degrees) are likely to be funded. However, if you have a top c.v., please contact a potential supervisor in the School and she or he may support your application. There is both a School and a Faculty of Science selection process. The School level process has a deadline of January 5th. More information on supervisors' research areas can be found at Research.

Multiple PhD studentships available through South-West Doctoral Training Partnership

Applications are invited for prestigious 4-year PhD studentships in either World-Class Bioscience or Food Security.

These are interdisciplinary PhD studentships and many staff in Biological Sciences will be involved in teaching and supervising them, along with staff from other departments and faculties across the University. More information is on the SWDTP website.

Four year PhD studentships in Complexity Science

Applications are invited for prestigious 4-year PhD studentships in Complexity Science.

These are interdisciplinary PhD studentships and many staff in Biological Sciences will be involved in teaching and supervising them, along with staff from other departments and faculties across the University. More information is on the Complexity Sciences website.