Bacterial genomes have evolved over billions of year to allow efficient expression of the right genes at the right times. It has become clear that the same gene, placed in different locations around a bacterial chromosome can display very different levels of expression. The rules which govern this are however not fully understood. This project aims to examine how position within a genome can affect gene expression, this will help us both understand how genomes work and evolve, and allow us to rationally design synthetic chromosomes which will deliver optimised expression of important genes.

The project will compare expression of millions of copies of the same gene promoters in both Salmonella and E. coli – two related species which share some genome organisation but control gene expression differently. The project will make use of tools already developed to allow expression to be measured under different conditions and will involve a mix of molecular microbiology, transcriptomics and informatics.

The student will join a large community of molecular microbiologists within the Quadram Institute in a brand new, purpose-built building with state of the art facilities. The Quadram Institute is based on the Norwich Research Park – home to one of the largest groups of microbiologists in Europe and the student will join a large cohort of graduate researchers with exceptional training opportunities.

Informal enquiries can be sent to mark.webber@quadram.ac.uk

References

Webber MA, Ricci V, Whitehead R, Patel M, Fookes M, Ivens A, Piddock LJ. Clinically relevant mutant DNA gyrase alters supercoiling, changes the transcriptome, and confers multidrug resistance. mBio. 2013 Jul 23;4(4):e00273-13. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00273-13.

Page AJ, Ainsworth EV, Langridge GC. Socru: typing of genome-level order and orientation around ribosomal operons in bacteria. Microb Genom. 2020 Jul;6(7):mgen000396. doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.000396.

Yasir M, Turner AK, Bastkowski S, Baker D, Page AJ, Telatin A, Phan MD, Monahan L, Savva GM, Darling A, Webber MA, Charles IG. TraDIS-Xpress: a high-resolution whole-genome assay identifies novel mechanisms of triclosan action and resistance. Genome Res. 2020 Feb;30(2):239-249. doi: 10.1101/gr.254391.119.

Entry Requirements

Candidates for academic admission to a doctoral degree at UEA and for entry to the NRPDTP programme must have obtained (or be about to obtain), a First or Upper Second-class UK Honours degree, or qualifications gained outside the UK that are considered to be equivalent. Applicants with a Lower Second-class degree will be considered if they also have a Master’s degree, or have significant research or non-academic experience relevant to the proposed field of research. Studentships awarded based on predicted grades will be conditional upon final results.

English Language requirement (UEA Faculty of Science equivalent: IELTS 6.5 overall, 6 in each category).

Funding

This project is awarded with a 4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (NRPDTP) PhD studentship. The studentship includes payment of tuition fees (directly to the University), a stipend for each year of the studentship (2021/22 stipend rate: £15,609), and a Research Training Support Grant for each year of the studentship of £5,000 p.a.

More information on eligibility and funding can be found here.

About The Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (NRPDTP)

The Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (NRPDTP) is open to UK and international candidates for entry October 2021 and offers postgraduates the opportunity to undertake a 4-year PhD research project whilst enhancing professional development and research skills through a comprehensive training programme. You will join a vibrant community of world-leading researchers. All NRPDTP students undertake a three-month professional internship placement (PIPS) during their study. The placement offers exciting and invaluable work experience designed to enhance professional development. Full support and advice will be provided by our Professional Internship team. Students with, or expecting to attain, at least an upper second class honours degree, or equivalent, are invited to apply.

This project has been shortlisted for funding by the NRPDTP programme. Shortlisted candidates can expect to be interviewed on either Tuesday 25th, Wednesday 26th or Thursday 27th January 2022. Shortlisted candidates will be notified of their interview times by email no later than 12 January 2022.

Visit our website for further information on eligibility and how to apply: https://biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/

Our partners value diverse and inclusive work environments that are positive and supportive. Students are selected for admission without regard to gender, marital or civil partnership status, disability, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, age or social background.