BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) in Food Security

The University of Surrey is proud to be a BBSRC DTP partner along with the University of Reading, Lancaster University, University of Southampton and Rothamsted Research. The DTP is an exciting new training opportunity providing a number of doctoral (PhD) studentships in the area of Food Security.

A Global Challenge

Food security is one of the most pressing global challenges facing the research community. The challenge is complex: Demand for food is changing because of population growth, changing diets and increasing affluence. Food production is under increasing pressure as natural resources become scarcer, competition for use of land rises, and climate change alters patterns and reliability of production. In these circumstances, meeting the nutrient requirements of the world's population demands an approach which runs from primary production to human nutrition and which includes the environment in which the food is produced.

PhD Training

The DTP will focus on providing training for interdisciplinary bioscientists to help secure the essential niche skills. Food security comprises diverse bioscience challenges; the DTP will also deliver broad bioscience training for flexible careers in a highly topical context. The Food Security DTP is uniquely placed to address these challenges. Our consortium covers the food chain; from interactions between natural and man-made ecosystems through to the nutritional effects of food in humans. The partners have extensive track records in agri-food training and research, and will deliver research training in the essential niche skills that are required to underpin the UKs capability: e.g. plant physiology, plant breeding, agronomy, plant pathology and pest management, soil science, horticulture, agroecology, food technology, diet and health, mathematical modelling and systems biology.

Students will be exposed to the breadth of the food security agenda, thus developing an understanding of how a variety of disciplinary perspectives can complement each other in addressing the challenges which confront our society. The compulsory inclusion of new methods of working in the training programmes of all students will ensure they all have a strong understanding of the potential contributions of modelling, mathematics and data analysis to modern bioscience.

Studentship opportunities available for 2013:

Application Deadline for these Studentships:  Friday 22nd February 2013

Eligibility:  Applicants should hold a minimum of a UK Honours Degree at 2:1 level or equivalent in a relevant subject.   Please note that, due to restrictions on the funding, these studentships are for UK/EU applicants only.

Impact of prolonged maternal milk exposure on gut microbiota, brain development and behaviour

Supervisor: Dr. Alexis Bailey, Dr. Jonathan Swann and Prof. Ian Kitchen

Overview:  The studentship is a collaboration between Surrey and Reading University. Early life environmental influences, such as diet and stress, have a profound impact on the organisms’ later development, structure and function. We have evidence showing that prolonged exposure to maternal milk beyond the normal age of weaning causes a depressive-like phenotype in rats.  Alterations in the gut microbiota may represent one possible mechanism. Milk exposure has a significant influence on the gut microbiota with potential to modulate the gut-brain axis and modify brain development and behaviour. This studentship will test the hypothesis that delayed weaning modulates gut microbial composition and functionality, thereby disrupting the gut-brain axis and modifying the development of brain function and psychological state. Furthermore, we will explore the persistence of such neurological modifications throughout life. This is a multidisciplinary systems biology project investigating the impact of delayed weaning on the mammalian system at multiple tiers of biological organisation (gut microbiota, metabolism, brain function, behaviour). The student will be trained in a diverse state-of-the-art analytical and statistical techniques.  From our part at Surrey, the student will be trained on in vivo behavioural assays and neurochemical characterisation of pathways identified by metabonomics. At Reading the student will be trained in microbiology techniques, NMR and mass spectrometry-based metabonomic approaches and multivariate statistical analysis.   This studentship will provide important insight on how early life environmental influences, such as diet and stress have a profound impact on the organisms’ later development and function.

Further Enquiries:  Please contact Dr. Alexis Bailey: a.bailey@surrey.ac.uk
                                                   Dr. Jonathan R. Swann: j.r.swann@reading.ac.uk
                                                   Prof. Ian Kitchen: i.kitchen@surrey.ac.uk       

To apply for this studentship please submit an application for a PhD in Neuropharmacology/Metabonomics to the Department of Biochemistry and Physiology at the University of Surrey

Epigenetic regulation of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid synthesis

Supervisor: Dr Barbara Fielding, Dr Graham Burdge and Dr Karen Lilycrop.

Overview:  The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are present in oily fish, are essential for health. Increasing EPA and DHA status can promote healthy aging but EPA and DHA intakes are low in the UK.  EPA and DHA can be synthesised from alpha-linolenic acid, present in vegetable oils, and so increasing ALA intake could improve EPA and DHA status. There is limited information in humans about the effect of sex and aging on their ability to synthesise EPA and DHA. Understanding the impact of these factors may be important for developing nutritional recommendations for healthy aging. This project, which is funded by a BBSRC Doctoral Training Award to the Universities of Surrey and Southampton, will test different methods to assess EPA and DHA synthesis, and use these to determine the effects of age and sex on EPA and DHA synthesis in people. The project will also investigate the role of the epigenetic regulation of two key enzymes in PUFA synthesis, delta-6 and delta-5 desaturases, in the variation between individuals in EPA and DHA synthesis.

The project will be based jointly at the University of Surrey (Dr Barbara Fielding) and University of Southampton (Dr Graham Burdge and Dr Karen Lillycrop).  Studies involving human volunteers will be carried out at the University of Surrey, together with stable isotope analysis.  Molecular biology and cell culture studies will be carried out at the University of Southampton.  Full training will be provided at both sites.

To apply for this studentship please submit an application for a PhD in the regulation of fatty acid synthesis to the Department of Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of Surrey

Metabolic systems biology of Campylobacter jejuni.

Supervisors: Dr Simon Park, Dr Dany Beste and Dr Jane Ward (Rothamsted Research)

Overview: The focus of this PhD project is to apply novel systems-based approaches to probe the metabolism of the major foodborne bacterial pathogen Campylobacter jejuni in different environmental conditions relevant to its life cycle. The student will be trained in microbiology, cell biology and systems-based metabolic analysis, such as 13C-metabolic flux analysis, as well as advanced mass spectrometry techniques such as GC-MS. The aim of the project is to dissect the metabolic pathways of C. jejuni in vitro and also within host cells. 

Further Enquiries:  Please contact: Dr Simon Park (Tel:01483 689024. Email: s.park@surrey.ac.uk)

To apply for this studentship please submit an application for a PhD in Systems Biology to the Department of Microbial and Cellular Sciences at the University of Surrey

BBSRC Industrial CASE Awards

The University has been also awarded a number of four-year BBSRC-funded Industrial CASE awards to start in October 2013:

Metabolic analysis of a solventogenic Clostridium.

Supervisors: Dr C. Avignone-Rossa and Prof M. Bushell (University of Surrey), Dr Preben Krabben (Green Biologics Ltd).

Solventogenic Clostridium species produces acetone, butanol and ethanol in relatively high quantities, but low yields and product inhibition make the process uneconomic. Understanding metabolism is essential for preventing these phenomena, enabling the design of strategies for improving strain performance.

This project aims to build genome scale metabolic networks for specific species and measure metabolic characteristics in chemostat cultures, with the objective of identifying the metabolic limitations that prevent higher yields. High quality experimental data will form the cornerstone of the network and will be used to validate the model. Subsequently, the model will be used to identify the metabolic engineering targets and evaluate the process conditions.

The outcomes of this project will help to optimise industrial biobutanol processes, and contribute to the understanding of solventogenic metabolism, while the construction of a robust network and the generation of data will provide appropriate tools and models to be applied in subsequent systems biology projects.

The student will spend at least 3 months with Green Biologics in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

We require a graduate in one of the life sciences with a 2(i) or above grade and an interest in microbial physiology and industrial biotechnology. The ideal candidate will have an interest in learning metabolic modelling techniques, and chemostat culture. Hands-on familiarity with either of those techniques is advantage but not essential.

Deadline for applications 31st March 2013

To apply for this studentship please submit an application for a PhD  to the Department of Microbial and Cellular Sciences stating that you are interested in this project.