Preclinical vaccine development against infections by Escherichia coli: a comprehensive One Health approach

A 3.5-year fully-funded PhD studentship project to explore the use of cutting-edge technologies and novel vaccine platforms for the development of vaccines against E. coli.

Start date

1 January 2024

Duration

3.5 years

Application deadline

13 October 2023

Funding source

University of Surrey and The Braithwaite Family Foundation

Funding information

Covers fees and stipend (the stipend for 2023-24 is £18,622) for 3.5 years and £18,000 (£6,000/year for 3 years) towards project costs. This PhD is partially supported by philanthropic funding.

Supervised by

Prof Christine Rollier

Professor of Vaccinology

Dr Jai Mehat

Lecturer (B) in Molecular Bacteriology

Prof Roberto La Ragione

Professor of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Head of the School of Biosciences

About

A 3.5-year, fully-funded PhD studentship, including international fee, is offered to explore the use of cutting-edge technologies and novel vaccine platforms for the development of vaccines against E. coli. Infections caused by E. coli in humans and animals result in significant morbidity and mortality. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance is making infections more difficult to treat. The high variability of isolates, virulence factors and pathogenic presentations of infections by E. coli poses a significant challenge for the development of cost-effective vaccines. In this project, the student will leverage recent technologies and synergies between the veterinary and human vaccinology fields to identify relevant antigen targets, create tools to support vaccine development and ultimately create and evaluate novel vaccine candidates against E. coli infections.

Eligibility criteria

You will need to meet the minimum entry requirements for the PhD programme.

Experience in vaccinology, vaccine immunology and bacteriology is desirable

Open to any UK or international candidates.

How to apply

Applications should be submitted via the Biosciences PhD course page (apply tab), mentioning this project AND emailed to Prof Rollier at c.rollier@surrey.ac.uk by the deadline. In your application, please mention this studentship. Instead of a project proposal, upload a covering letter, indicating why you have applied and what you hope to achieve by undertaking this PhD. Your CV should include your course modules and marks (including predicted grade if you are in your final year).