Four year fully funded PhD studentship: Bioprospecting Marine Sponge Streptomyces for Novel Anti-Virulence Therapeutics
looking to appoint a PhD candidate with a strong background in Microbiology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology or related field to work on an exciting project aiming to discover infection combatting therapeutics in marine sponge-associated bacteria.
Closing date 31st May 2025.
International applications welcomed!🌎
About the Project
The O’Boyle Group at the School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated PhD candidate to join their dynamic research team.
By 2050, antimicrobial-resistant infections could surpass heart disease and cancer as the leading cause of global mortality. To mitigate this crisis, investing in innovative solutions against bacterial infections is crucial. This project will harness the biosynthetic potential of marine sponge-associated Streptomyces to discover novel therapeutics targeting high-risk pathogens including pathogenic Escherichia coli.
In this project, a collection of marine sponge-associated Streptomyces will be screened for production of metabolites with anti-virulence properties against enterohaemorrhagic, and urosepsis-associated E. coli, which are amongst the most clinically relevant pathotypes. A combination of comparative genomics, molecular biology and analytical chemistry will be used to decipher the mechanisms underlying these capabilities.
The successful candidate will be based in Dr O’Boyle’s laboratory in The Moyne Institute of Preventative Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, a vibrant Microbiology department with a strong focus on bacterial pathogens. The project will be co-supervised by Professor Fabio Boylan (School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, Trinity College Dublin) and will be further supported by external collaborator Professor Alan Dobson (School of Microbiology, University College Cork).
The Project
The appointed student will culture Streptomyces isolated from marine sponges and prepare extracts for testing against enterohaemorrhagic, and urosepsis-associated E. coli. A range of gene expression and virulence assays (including infection of cultured eukaryotic cells) will be performed to test the efficacy of extracts before fractionating and characterising the active compounds using analytical chemistry approaches. Genomic analysis will be employed to identify the Streptomyces biosynthetic gene clusters responsible for producing active compounds.
Qualifications
Applicants will hold or be about to obtain a BA/BSc degree (or equivalent) in Microbiology, Biochemistry or a related life science field. A minimum of an upper second-class grade (2.1) is required.
Application Procedure
To apply, please send before 12 noon May 31st, 2025, the following items by email to OBOYLEN1@tcd.ie with the subject line “SoGM TDRA Application [insert your surname here]”:
A brief (~250 words) cover letter explaining how you are the right person to satisfy the job description.
Your Curriculum Vitae including the names and email addresses of two referees.
Your transcript of grades or marks
Funding Notes
This project is supported by a School of Genetics and Microbiology Trinity Doctoral Research Award (TDRA), awarded to Dr O’Boyle.
This award will provide the student with a tax-free stipend of €25,000 per year.
All tuition fees will be waived including fees for non-EU students
