Bacteriology
University of Bristol
About the Project Fungal infections have become a major and growing global health crisis, causing an estimated 3.8 million deaths each year—surpassing the toll of diseases like tuberculosis and malaria. These infections disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, such as people with weakened immune systems, including those with HIV/AIDS, cystic fibrosis, cancer patients, and organ transplant recipients.
- Location
- Bristol, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 21 October 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Bacteriology
University of Bristol
About the Project Melioidosis, caused by the soil-borne Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, is an under-recognised tropical disease, with mortality rates that can exceed 40 % for respiratory infections, that causes c. 100 000 deaths worldwide. It is widespread in tropical regions, with the global epicentre Northeast Thailand, where agricultural workers constitute a high-risk group.
- Location
- Bristol, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 21 October 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Bacteriology
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
About the Project Our lab investigates, at the scale of the population, how the genes of the individual, the genes of social partners and the genes of the gut microbiota influence complex traits and diseases. We use advanced statistical analyses of genomes, metagenomes and phenotypes to understand the complex biological and evolutionary interplay between the individual, the social partners and the microbiota. Who are we looking for?
- Location
- Barcelona, Spain, Spain
- Deadline
- 22 November 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Bacteriology
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
About the Project Our group studies how isolated mountain lakes record environmental pressure in the DNA they shed, and how such biodiversity signals can be used to predict ecosystem states. Working across Pyrenean high-mountain lakes, thermal springs and airborne samples, we combine 1.) large-scale environmental DNA sampling and biobanking, 2.) long-read sequencing of metagenomes, and 3.) comparative genomic analyses, from community composition to codon usage.
- Location
- Barcelona, Spain, Spain
- Deadline
- 22 November 2026
- Funding
- Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Bacteriology
Medical Research Council (Cambridge)
About the Project Ubiquitylation is essential for eukaryotic life. Until recently, proteins were the only substrates known to be modified with ubiquitin. Then we reported that the E3 ligase RNF213 ubiquitylates lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on bacteria that invade the host cytosol. LPS ubiquitylation marks bacteria for selective autophagy, thereby protecting the host from infection.
- Location
- Cambridge, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Bacteriology
The University of Manchester
About the Project Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are a ubiquitous part of the electronic equipment that permeates all aspects of modern civilisation. Here, the increasing electronification of lifestyles across the globe has driven a surge in use, and hence subsequent disposal, of electronic equipment. In 2024 it was estimated that 62 billion metric tons of ‘e-waste’ were being produced annually.
- Location
- Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- No more applications being accepted
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)
Bacteriology
The University of Manchester
About the Project The mitochondrion evolved from an endosymbiotic interaction between an alpha-proteobacterium and an archaeon. A defining event during this evolution was the transfer of most mitochondrial genes to the host nucleus. Although the mitochondrial genome now encodes only a dozen or so of proteins, more than 1,000 proteins form the mitochondrial proteome.
- Location
- Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leicester
About the Project Iron is an essential nutrient for virtually all life on Earth, playing a critical role in processes such as respiration, DNA synthesis, and metabolism (1). Despite its abundance on our planet, iron bioavailability is highly limited.
- Location
- Leicester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leicester
About the Project Bacterial lipid bodies (LBs), also known as intrabacterial lipid inclusions or lipid droplets, are intracellular accumulations of neutral lipids, such as triacylglycerol (TAG) and wax esters. These are surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer containing proteins that support LB synthesis, structure and degradation. LBs are prevalent in many actinobacteria, including Mycobacterium and Rhodococcus .
- Location
- Leicester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leicester
About the Project Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria, playing vital roles in shaping microbial communities and influencing health and disease. They are powerful natural tools for combating antimicrobial resistance, advancing biotechnology and understanding fundamental biology. At the Becky Mayer Centre for Phage Research (BMCPR) a multidisciplinary team of more than 40 researchers work together to solve current and future global challenges.
- Location
- Leicester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Reading
About the Project The gut microbiome has a profound effect on health and disease of humans and colorectal cancer (CRC) is one such disease influenced by microorganisms. Several studies have demonstrated that Streptococcus gallolyticus subsps. gallolyticus formerly known as Streptococcus bovis , an opportunistic human pathogen, causes an elevated risk of CRC.
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leeds
About the Project Antibiotics make possible the treatment and cure of life-threatening bacterial infections and have added over a decade to average human lifespan. Unfortunately, the utility of these drugs is being rapidly eroded as pathogenic bacteria evolve to resist their effects; in 2019, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) killed ~1.3 million people worldwide, and this figure is set to rise to 10 million by 2050.
- Location
- Leeds, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Sheffield
About the Project The Project: Addressing a Global Health Emergency Global cases of gonorrhoea are rising sharply, complicated by a crisis of multidrug resistance (MDR) within the causative organism, Neisseria gonorrhoeae. While the recent introduction of vaccines offers a new frontier in prevention, initial reports suggest a troubling lack of efficacy within high-risk populations. N. gonorrhoeae is a master of genomic fluidity.
- Location
- Sheffield, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leeds
About the Project Background The antibiotic fusidic acid (FA) blocks bacterial protein synthesis by interacting with Elongation-factor G (EF-G). Resistance to FA is caused by FusB, which interacts with EF-G, altering its motion. Research by the second supervisor has shown that FA resistance can be overcome by preventing the EF-G/FusB interaction, identifying the key binding area on EF-G.
- Location
- Leeds, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
The University of Manchester
About the Project Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a severe progressive chronic respiratory condition, affecting 3 million individuals globally 1 . Life expectancy post diagnosis is roughly 3-4 years, with diagnosis often occurring late 2,3 . Exacerbations in IPF are characterised by diffuse alveolar damage in the airways, which also drastically impact life expectancy with studies citing only a 50% survival rate for patients 3 months post exacerbation 4 .
- Location
- Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Portsmouth
About the Project Applications are invited for a self-funded, 3 year full-time or 6 year part-time PhD project. The PhD will be based in the Faculty of Science and Health, and will be supervised by Professor Sam Robson (Professor of Genomics and Bioinformatics, University of Portsmouth), Dr Robbie Baldock (Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth) and Dr Robin Rumney (Lecturer in Musculoskeletal Biology and Regenerative Medicine, University of…
- Location
- Portsmouth, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
Garvan Institute of Medical Research
About the Project Project Description Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with no effective cure. Although several causal mutations (e.g. SOD1 , C9orf72 ) have been identified, why some mutation carriers remain symptom-free while others develop severe disease remains unknown. This suggests the existence of genetic and epigenetic modifiers that determine neuronal vulnerability.
- Location
- Sydney, Australia, Australia
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Bacteriology
University of Reading
About the Project Antibiotic resistant infections are spreading globally and becoming a leading cause of death worldwide, already surpassing malaria and HIV. In parallel, the rate that new antibiotics have been developed has drastically slowed over the last few decades. New approaches and strategies to fight infection are urgently needed.
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leicester
About the Project Project background Characterization of the genetic variation of bacterial species and the evolutionary mechanisms leading to that variation is crucial for understanding bacterial adaptation to their host environments, as well as the evolution of phenotypes such as virulence and antimicrobial drug resistance (AMR).
- Location
- Leicester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leicester
About the Project Clinically relevant pathogens evolve through a complex interplay of within-host evolution (including host and antibiotic selective pressure and interactions with other microorganisms), transmission dynamics, and metapopulation processes between hosts. This multifaceted system is yet to be fully understood.
- Location
- Leicester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leicester
About the Project The latest WHO reports that around 10.7 million people were diagnosed and 1.23 million people died from the curable and preventable disease tuberculosis (TB) in 2024, putting it in the top 10 causes of death worldwide 1 . TB is caused by infection with the bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis . M. tuberculosis infection is influenced by a number of factors including nutrition, immune dysregulation, and the genetics of both the host and the pathogen.
- Location
- Leicester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leicester
About the Project Microbial communities are shaped by dynamic interspecies interactions that influence gene expression, metabolite production, and ecological behaviour. Transcriptomic data suggest that biosynthetic genes in one bacterial species are differentially regulated in response to chemical signals from another, indicating a molecular-level response.
- Location
- Leicester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Sheffield
About the Project Background: Clostridioides difficile is the leading cause of healthcare-associated infections and is notoriously difficult to treat. This bacterial species infects the colon following antibiotic treatment, which disrupts the protective gut microbiota.
- Location
- Sheffield, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Sheffield
About the Project Antimicrobial-resistant typhoid fever The world faces epidemics of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) typhoid fever caused by Salmonella Typhi that underlies 12 million cases / 129 000 deaths each year. Understanding how infection develops and how human host cells combat Salmonella will improve control strategies that are vital to typhoid elimination efforts. Typhoid toxin a tumour suppressor mechanism called senescence.
- Location
- Sheffield, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
The University of Manchester
About the Project Systemic sclerosis (SSc), or scleroderma, is a rare rheumatological disease characterised by immune dysregulation, vascular dysfunction, and progressive tissue fibrosis affecting the skin and internal organs. SSc has among the highest mortality rates of the rheumatic diseases, has no known cure, and is associated with substantial chronic morbidity and impaired quality of life.
- Location
- Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Sheffield
About the Project Regulation of Mcl-1 in Macrophage Host Defense This PhD project offers an opportunity to explore immunometabolism and cell signaling, focusing on how macrophages decide whether to live or die to protect the host. Macrophages are the sentinels of the innate immune system.
- Location
- Sheffield, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Salford
About the Project The control of bacterial infections continues to rely heavily on antibiotics and is threatened by rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that causes over a million annual deaths globally. While solutions such as antibiotic discovery and rapid diagnostics are vital, there is growing interest in alternative therapies.
- Location
- Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Liverpool
About the Project This four-year PhD project aims to advance sequencing-based bioinformatics methods for identification and characterisation of bacterial pathogens in diverse clinical and surveillance samples. Methodological and knowledge breakthroughs from this study will improve the diagnosis, monitoring, prevention, and control of bacterial infectious diseases, addressing the pressing threat of antimicrobial resistance.
- Location
- Liverpool, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Dundee
About the Project Biofilms have a significant impact in many environments including medical and agricultural sectors. Bacillus subtilis is a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that is widely used as a model organism to increase our understanding of biofilm formation. In this research project, the student will make use of the genetic diversity encoded within the B. subtilis pangenome to increase our knowledge of the mechanisms by which B.
- Location
- Dundee, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Dundee
About the Project Interbacterial competition is ubiquitous and plays a key role in shaping diverse microbial communities, including the gut microbiota and in the rhizosphere. Bacteria normally exist within mixed microbial populations and must be able to compete effectively for space and nutrients to enter and survive within these communities. Bacillus subtilis is a Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that resides in intestinal tracts, soil, and on plant surfaces. B.
- Location
- Dundee, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Dundee
About the Project Many species of bacteria use a contractile nanomachine known as the Type VI secretion system (T6SS) to deliver a wide range of toxic proteins, known as ‘effectors’, directly into neighbouring cells. The T6SS plays a key role in the virulence and competitiveness of diverse Gram-negative bacteria, including important human, animal and plant pathogens. In some cases the T6SS can be used to directly attack host cells, as a classical virulence factor.
- Location
- Dundee, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leicester
About the Project Importance The proliferation of antibiotic resistance (AMR) through horizontal-gene-transfer (HGT) is a formidable health challenge, accounting for 700,000 deaths annually 1 . Although the dissemination of AMR through HGT is described by conjugation in E. coli 2 , there are other clinically important bacterial families where AMR has come to the forefront due to the emergence of severe drug resistance.
- Location
- Leicester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Sheffield
About the Project This project will investigate the role of ZDHHC5, a cell surface-localised protein S-acyltransferase, in regulating cell adhesion and bacterial adherence to human cells. ZDHHC5 is one of 23 human DHHC enzymes responsible for attaching fatty acids to proteins, a process known as S-acylation (or palmitoylation). This modification is reversible and dynamically regulates protein trafficking, stability, and function.
- Location
- Sheffield, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leeds
About the Project Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is an essential component of the diagnostic workflow in the clinical microbiology laboratory, since it is able to define which antibiotics have the potential to treat bacterial infection in a given patient. Current AST systems can determine antibiotic susceptibility profiles in ~6-8 hours under ideal conditions. In cases of serious, life-threatening infection (e.g.
- Location
- Leeds, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Reading
About the Project Project Overview: Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile and adaptable pathogen of humans and animals. Of serious medical and economic importance, infections can range from mild skin issues like boils and impetigo to more serious conditions like pneumonia and bloodstream infections. S. aureus is of particular concern because some strains are resistant to antibiotics, making them difficult to treat. This includes methicillin-resistant S.
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leicester
About the Project Project: Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the leading global cause of death from a single infectious agent. It is a highly specialised human pathogen and is able to adapt to changing conditions in human macrophages and granulomas in order to subvert immune defences. Studying M. tuberculosis virulence proteins will shed light on how this bacterium is so successful and identify new opportunities for drug development to improve treatment of tuberculosis.
- Location
- Leicester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Sydney
About the Project Scholarships are available for PhD candidates to conduct protein engineering and synthetic biology research projects in a multidisciplinary research team - the Lau research group at The University of Sydney ( LauGroup.net ). With ever-increasing demand to feed our growing global population, engineering proteins to optimise carbon fixation may deliver step changes in our ability to grow more efficient and more productive crops.
- Location
- Sydney, Australia, Australia
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Bacteriology
University of Sheffield
About the Project Uncovering How Influenza Turns Bacterial Infections Deadly Why do influenza pandemics claim so many lives? The answer often isn’t the virus alone, but the lethal synergy between Influenza A Virus (IAV) and secondary bacterial pneumonia. With antibiotic resistance on the rise and IAV constantly mutating, understanding this deadly combination is a global health priority.
- Location
- Sheffield, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Reading
About the Project Project Overview A biofilm is a robust form of bacteria colony resistant to antibiotics. They have significant impacts on a multitude of industries impacting health and industrial processes such as in food production and water security. A major barrier to understanding biofilms and their underlying science is that bacteria cells involve cell-to-cell communication as well as changes in metabolic cycles to generate homeostasis in a colony as a whole.
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Reading
About the Project Project Overview Rats and mice are one of the most prolific and widespread wildlife species. They are ubiquitous in urban and rural environments, are in contact with sewage effluents, have a generalist and opportunistic diet and interact frequently with human wastes. While they cause considerable physical damage to buildings and utilities, they pose even more serious risks to public health by spreading disease.
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Reading
About the Project Project Overview A number of bacteria can modify their morphology to survive in adverse environmental conditions such as pH, temperature, increased oxygen and antibiotics. They can enter a state known as “viable but non-culturable” (VBNC) which has been defined as an inactive form of life initiated by stressful events or conditions. For example, Campylobacter spp.
- Location
- Reading, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
Bacteriology
University of Leicester
About the Project Hypothesis: We hypothesise that host stress, via catecholamine stress hormones (norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine), plays a critical role in triggering the transition of Streptococcus pneumoniae from a benign coloniser in the nasopharynx to an invasive pathogen. This microbe kills millions of people every year, mainly children and elderly. This project aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which S.
- Location
- Leicester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
- Deadline
- Year-round applications
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only