FHMS Studentships and Scholarships
Details of current studentships and scholarships are listed below:
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.
The application deadline for studentship opportunities for 2013 has now passed but there will be more for 2013.
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.
Sleep slow wave oscillations: effects of ageing and preceding sleep-wake history
Supervisors:y Dr Vladyslav Vyazovskiy and Dr Ying Chen at the University of Surrey and Dr Stuart Hughes at Eli Lilly and Company.
The student will work in state-of-the-art neurophysiology laboratories and use several cutting-edge approaches from single-cell recordings to behaviour in the quest of understanding the effects of sleep deprivation and ageing on the brain. One part of the project will be conducted in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences of the University of Surrey. Another part of the project will be performed at Eli Lilly and Company in Windlesham, Surrey, UK, where the student will be required to spend up to 18 months.
The project will consist of two packages:
First, the effects of short-term sleep deprivation on the parameters of the slow oscillation at the level of individual neurons and networks will be investigated to establish cellular markers of preceding history of staying awake or asleep. Specifically, it will allow us to disentangle two alternative possibilities: whether preceding sleep-wake history affects the properties of the slow oscillation at a single-cell level, for example by altering specific ionic conductances, or whether the network properties are primarily affected.
Second, the development of the cortical and thalamic slow oscillation across ontogeny from early postnatal stages until old age will be studied. We will for the first time address the question whether the properties of the slow oscillation change with age, and whether these changes can account for the age-dependent changes in sleep. An intriguing possibility is that ageing differentially affects the properties of the slow oscillation at the level of single neurons and on a large scale of cortical networks.
The studentship will be awarded on a competitive basis and applicants will be expected to demonstrate a strong academic background (a first class degree in neuroscience-related subject) and an aptitude for research. The successful applicant should have a strong interest in neuroscience, and be highly motivated to perform experiments. Practical experience in working with rodent models (e.g. behavioural experiments and electrophysiology), good analytical, statistical and programming skills (Matlab) and knowledge in electrical instrumentation are desirable. Funding is available for up to four years to UK and EU students who meet the requirements specified in BBSRC guide to studentship eligibility
Deadline for applications 5th April 2013
To apply for this studentship please submit an application for a PhD to the Department of Biochemistry and Physiology stating that you are interested in this project.
Informal inquiries and project-related questions should be addressed to Dr. Vladyslav Vyazovskiy: v.vyazovskiy@surrey.ac.uk
http://vvlab.org
For general information or enquiries about application procedures contact Mrs. Kathy Udy: k.udy@surrey.ac.uk
Constructing a microbial community for increasing wheat crop yield using system approaches
Supervisors: Dr E. Laing and Dr C. Avignone-Rossa (University of Surrey) and Dr S Hodgson (Symbio)
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Through the changes in agricultural practices observed between 1940s and 1960s, termed the green revolution, dramatic increases in crop yields were attained. However, as a direct result of the green revolution, the increased worldwide usage of inorganic fertilisers and pesticides has now effectively stripped the land of its natural ecology. Aside from cost implications, unhealthy soil has lead to a dependency on the use of chemicals for which, although regulated, the long-term health risks remain unclear. Furthermore, it has been argued that healthy soil, soil that contains complex microbial ecosystems, produces more nutrient dense foods and is thus of direct benefit to all.
In this collaborative ‘Systems Biology’ project we will use –omics techniques and analyses to compare the microbial ecology and function surrounding wheat crops in a high-yielding, agriculturally viable, healthy soil, to an unhealthy, fallow, chemical dependent soil. We will use the outcomes of this analysis to further understand and model how microbes work together and interact with the plant environment. The ultimate objective of this work is to construct a synthetic community of microbes, similar in function to those found in organic soils, for optimal organic food production and food security.
We require a graduate in one of the life sciences with a 2(i) or above grade and an interest in microbiology. The ideal candidate will have an interest in becoming an interdisciplinary Systems Biologist, able to generate and analyse their own high-throughput data using a combination of various laboratory and computational techniques. Hands-on familiarity with either of those techniques is an advantage but not essential. The student will spend at least 3 months with Symbio, Surrey.
Deadline for applications 30th April 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.
Collaborative project between The Pirbright Institute and the University of Surrey
The innate immune response to Bluetongue virus and vector insect saliva in ruminants
Principal Supervisor Pirbright: Dr. Karin Darpel
Co-Supervisors Pirbright: Dr. Geraldine Taylor, Dr. Katy Moffat and Prof. Peter Mertens
University Supervisor: Dr. Nicolas Locker
Bluetongue virus (BTV) is the aetiological agent of bluetongue disease, an economically important arthropod-borne disease of ruminants. BTV infections often result in severe haemorrhagic disease in sheep while most cattle remain asymptomatic. The reason for the difference in clinical manifestation is not fully understood. However different immune responses to BTV may play a vital role.
BTV is transmitted between its ruminant hosts almost exclusively by small hematophagus insects, namely Culicoides biting midges. Insect and tick saliva are known to modulate immune responses of mammalian skin/ inflammatory cells thereby increasing the infectivity and virulence of some arthropod-borne viruses.
A method has been developed to collect Culicoides saliva proteins enabling the design of in vitro assays and proteomic analysis.
The overall aim of this PhD project is to investigate the innate response of certain immune and skin cells towards BTV infections in the presence and absence of Culicoides saliva in vitro, and to compare the response of ovine and bovine host cells.
Improving our understanding of the ruminant innate immune responses towards BTV infection and insect saliva is a significant step towards the development of better control and prevention measures.
This project will specifically investigate the following hypothesises:
• The innate response of certain immune and skin cells towards BTV infections differs between bovine and ovine derived cells
• Culicoides saliva elicits an innate response in ovine and bovine immune and skin cells that influences BTV replication
The characterisation of innate immune responses towards BTV and/or Culicoides saliva will create the possibility of identifying potential cellular signalling pathways as well as viral and/or insect saliva components responsible for the elicited response.
This multidisciplinary project will utilise a combination of techniques e.g. cell culture, virus infection and titration, confocal microscopy, real-time PCR, Proteomics, ELISA, flow cytometry and Culicoides saliva collection. Methods to fractionate Culicoides saliva while maintaining the biological activity will be developed. The successful candidate will acquire expertise in immunology, virology and proteomics.
This project is collaborative project between The Pirbright Institute and the University of Surrey. At Pirbright the candidate will be joining the Vaccinology group within the Vector-borne viral disease programme. At the University they will become a member of the Department of Microbial and Cellular Sciences within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. The majority of the laboratory work will be based within the high-containment facilities at The Pirbright Institute. Certain aspects of the project e.g. protein identification will be carried out within the Proteomics and Virology facilities at the University of Surrey. The student will be registered at the University of Surrey, providing access to a wide range of student facilities and training courses on both sites.
Application should be made through The Pirbright Institute by the 15th of March 2013, via this link: http://www.pirbright.ac.uk/students/Apply.aspx
Studentship funded by the Health Protection Agency
Interactions between environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Supervisors: Professor Costas Ioannides and Dr Lisi Meira (University of Surrey), Dr Meera Cush and Dr Tim Marczylo (Health Protection Agency, Chilton, Oxford).
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons constitute one of the most important classes of environmental chemicals that contribute to the aetiology of human cancer. Human exposure occurs largely through breathing of polluted air and consumption of cooked (e.g. barbecued) or processed (e.g. smoked food). Although the carcinogenic activity of many of these carcinogens has been established, similar studies using the complex mixtures present in food and air have not been conducted. As a result, the current risk assessment approaches for such mixtures involve summing up the risks calculated for individual mixture components. However, in adopting such methodologies, the assumption is made that the mixture components do not interact with each other. It is conceivable that two components of a mixture may interact synergistically so that their carcinogenic potential is far higher compared with the sum of individual components and vice versa. The principal objective of this research project is to provide laboratory-based new scientific information that relates directly on the currently employed approaches for the evaluation of the cancer risk of carcinogen mixtures, so as to reduce the associated uncertainties. The project addresses the question of interactions between carcinogens, and how these interactions may influence the application of different methodologies for the safety assessment of mixtures of these compounds. Appreciation of such interactions will provide a scientific basis on which to base the evaluation of the carcinogenic potential of mixtures. Although these studies focus on mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the outcome of the project is likely to be of relevance to the safety assessment of other carcinogenic mixtures.
A number of modern toxicological techniques will be employed to achieve the project objectives, including: precision-cut tissue slices, receptor-binding studies, enzyme assays, real time-PCR, DNA-damage using mass spectrometry and the Comet assay. Most of the work will be conducted at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey. The successful candidate will also be expected to spend significant time at the Health Protection Agency laboratories in Chilton, near Oxford.
This studentship covers stipend and UK/EU fees. We are looking for a well-organised, motivated graduate with at least a 2(i) Honours Degree in a Life Sciences subject, with interest in mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis.
Deadline for applications 17th May 2013
To apply for this studentship please submit an application for a PhD to the Department of Biochemistry and Physiology stating that you are interested in this project.
