Bacterial strains in the human gut microbiome can associate to their host for decades. During this time, mutations accumulate in their genomes, that are either adaptive, neutral or deliterious. In this project, we will investigate such mutations and their evolutionary impact, using a family cohort established in the hosting group. The candidate will develop novel experimental protocols, to further increase the metagenomics resolution, targeted at bioinformatic tools developed in the group. In the second part of the project, the candidate will analyze the long- and short-term evolution in these metagenomic-reconstructed gut bacteria, using population genetics.

If you are interested in developing novel experimental protocols and to learn about metagenomics, if you are interested in understanding the evolutionary fate of bacteria in the human gut, then this PhD will be right for you. The ideal candidate will enjoy developing wetlab protocols and have an interest in strengthening their computational skills (R and Linux). The candidate will learn about different flavours of metagenomic sequencing, and how to analyse and interpret this data. Visiting international conferences and training courses as well as exchanges with international collaborators are part of student training.

The candidate will be supervised by Dr Hildebrand, Dr Bereza and Prof O’Grady at the Quadram Institute in Norwich. The Quadram Institute is part of the large Norwich Research Park (NRP), together with the adjacent University of East Anglia (UEA), hosting a vibrant and active research community.

For further information and to apply, please visit our website: https://quadram.ac.uk/about/student-opportunities/how-to-apply/ or https://www.falk.science/