About the project
Undertake a PhD to investigate biofilms management. You'd work with the National Biofilms Innovation Centre and industrial hub the Diamond Light Source to investigate multi-domain proteins that are biofilm dispersal targets.
You would study the complex networks of multi-domain proteins that influence whether or not C-di-GMP (cyclic-dimeric guanosine monophosphate) levels lead to bacteria living in biofilms. You'd focus on how these proteins interact with each other and how they are influenced by their environment, including by how much oxygen is present.
You'd investigate 6 selected multi-domain proteins that can regulate biofilm formation and dispersal using:
- microbiology biofilm assays
- recombinant protein work
- structural biology
- physical analytical techniques
You and a researcher undertaking a second, linked PhD can share techniques and approaches you learn and develop.
Our National Biofilms Innovation Centre is an Innovation Knowledge Centre funded by BBSRC and Innovate UK. The centre conducts research and catalyses industry collaboration across the interventional themes of prevention, detection, management and engineering of biofilms to achieve breakthrough innovation.
Working with Diamond’s industrial hub allows our molecular research to extend from structural biology knowledge into application in industrial and clinical contexts. This helps us to provide novel ways to control and manage biofilms.
The project is a collaboration with Professor Dietrich at Columbia, NY, who studies redox-based biofilm regulation.
Equality, diversity and inclusion is central to our ethos.
Project supervisors
Alongside Professor Webb and Dr Tews you will also be supervised by Diamond Light Source's Dr Martin Walsh.
