There is a current opening to join the Whelan lab as a PhD student via NERC’s Envision DTP programme. The Envision programme offers a 3 year 6 month studentship with a competitive stipend and research costs. The position is open to both home (UK) and international appliciants. The project brings in a broad range of expertise in microbiology, bioinformatics, evolution, ecology, and environmentsal sciences via a diverse supervisory team including myself, Dr. Andrew MacColl, and Dr. Hanna Hartikainen (UoN School of Life Sciences) with input from Dr. Kat Milligan-McClellan (UConn).

The project is entitled “The effect of environmental metals on the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes in the stickleback skin microbiome”. In this project, we will conduct field work in a well-established field site in northern Scotland to sample the skin microbiome of stickleback at multiple locations. The student will then culture the diverse microbiome, isolate the DNA, and use a variety of sequencing techniques and bioinformatic analyses to determine how environmental metal concentrations may impact the diversity and antimicrobial resistance of the skin microbiome.

For more information and to apply please click here.