Pulling the plug on antimicrobial resistance – novel antimicrobial compounds from The Roman Baths hot spring (Bath, UK)

Director of Studies: Dr Lee Hutt 

2nd Supervisor: Dr Nathaniel Clark 

3rd Supervisor: Dr Kirsty Matthews Nicholass 

4th Supervisor: Professor Mathew Upton 

5th Supervisor: Dr Robert Puschendorf 

Applications are invited for a three-year PhD studentship. The studentship will start on 1 October 2024.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial, fungal and protozoan pathogens is a globally recognised threat to the treatment of infectious diseases. Bacterial infections resistant to therapy led to an estimated 1.27 million deaths in 2019, emphasising the need for discovery and development of new antibiotics. The major source of current antibiotics are natural products (NPs), which are typically biologically active secondary metabolites derived from bacteria and fungi. However, in currently researched environments, such as soil and some marine environments, high-throughput screening has led to continual re-discovery of known NPs, thereby hampering antimicrobial development and strengthening the case for exploration of new ecological niches.

Hot springs in Jordan, Italy and Fiji have recently demonstrated to host thermophilic bacterial communities with antimicrobial potential but these niches have typically received little attention compared to marine and soil environments, in terms of NP discovery. The Roman Baths are the UK’s only hot spring and have been the subject of several microbiological studies due to the location’s unique environment. However, we are the first group to explore this site for novel antimicrobials and our findings justify a more extensive examination of the microbial ecology and potential for biodiscovery of new chemical matter.

In this exciting project, the successful applicant will use cutting edge shotgun sequencing and traditional culture-based biodiscovery techniques to isolate prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms that will be screened for antimicrobial activity against important human pathogens. Promising compounds will be identified and applied to down-stream processing and development towards pre-clinical evaluation. This will be the first in-depth study of a UK thermal hot spring focused on antimicrobial discovery. The project will be located in laboratories with excellent facilities and the candidate will join an established community of antimicrobial biodiscovery researchers.

Applicants should have a First or Upper Second class honours degree in an appropriate subject or a relevant Masters qualification. Experience in bacteriology, liquid chromatography, DNA sequencing and bioinformatics are desirable.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum English requirements for the programme, IELTS Academic score of 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in each component test area) or equivalent. 

The studentship is supported for 3 years and includes full Home tuition fees plus a stipend of £18,110 2023/24 rate (2024/25 rate TBC). The studentship will only fully fund those applicants who are eligible for Home fees with relevant qualifications. Applicants normally required to cover International fees will have to cover the difference between the Home and the International tuition fee rates (approximately £13,244 per annum 2024/25 rate). 

NB: The studentship is supported for three years of the four-year registration period. The fourth year is a self-funded ‘writing-up’ year.

If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact Dr Lee Hutt.

Please see our how to apply for a research degree page for a list of supporting documents to upload with your application.

For more information on the admissions process generally, please visit our how to apply for a research degree webpage or contact The Doctoral College at research.degree.admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview shortly after the deadline. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications. Applicants who have not received a response within six weeks of the closing date should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.