Bystander-Induced Resistance Evolution Against Antimicrobials from Non-antibiotic Co-stressors

About the project

About the Project About the Project This project investigates how everyday non-antibiotic substances, including medicines, environmental toxins such as mycotoxins, and nicotine, may contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It focuses on understanding how these substances, both individually and alongside low levels of antibiotics, can affect antibiotic susceptibility, bacterial mutation, biofilm formation and the spread of resistance genes in clinically relevant bacteria. This knowledge will help improve understanding of overlooked drivers of AMR and could inform antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention and control, and environmental AMR surveillance. The student will test clinically and environmentally relevant concentrations of selected non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals, mycotoxins and nicotine, examine their effects on bacterial resistance and biofilms, investigate efflux-mediated resistance, and assess the transfer of resistance genes between bacteria using techniques including qRT-PCR, RNA sequencing and whole-genome sequencing. While strategies to tackle AMR have traditionally focused on antibiotic use and misuse, growing evidence suggests that exposure to other substances may also encourage resistance. However, these effects are not yet well understood, particularly when different substances are encountered together and in clinically important Gram-negative bacteria. Full Application Deadline : 11/30/2026 Please note the start date for this project will be either January 2027 for UK students or April 2027 for international students Background Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major global health challenges of this century, yet efforts to understand and tackle it have largely focused on the use and misuse of antibiotics. Growing evidence suggests that non-antibiotic substances encountered in medicines, the environment and everyday lifestyles may also influence how bacteria develop and spread resistance. Non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals, environmental toxins such as mycotoxins, and substances such as nicotine have been linked to increased mutation rates, biofilm formation, changes in multidrug efflux systems and the transfer of resistance genes between bacteria. Early research also suggests that exposure to these substances alongside antibiotics may further encourage the development of multidrug resistance. However, much of the existing evidence examines these factors separately and has focused primarily on laboratory strains of E. coli . This PhD project will bring these potential AMR drivers together within a single experimental framework that more closely reflects real-world exposure. The researcher will investigate their individual, combined and potentially synergistic effects in clinically relevant Gram-negative bacteria, examining antibiotic susceptibility, mutation frequency, biofilm tolerance, efflux-mediated resistance and horizontal gene transfer. By identifying how non-antibiotic exposures may contribute to resistance and the mechanisms involved, the project will generate evidence that can support future approaches to antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention and control, and environmental AMR monitoring. Entry Criteria Entry requirements (At least 2:1 honours degree in a relevant field) International students may also need to meet our English language requirements. Find out more about our entry requirements for international students. How to Apply To apply for this opportunity, please complete the Expression of Interest form by 30 November 2026 23:59 . Following review, eligible candidates will be invited to submit a formal application and may then be shortlisted for interview.

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