Project description

With the human population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, the looming challenge of feeding the rapidly growing population is threatened by plant pathogens, which cause significant losses in crop yield each year. Battling plant disease is essential for sustainable agriculture and global food security, and new avenues are required to address this challenge. Pathogens invade plant cells and hijack proteins that control protein synthesis, bending these processes to support pathogen growth.

This project aims to target the protein-protein interactions that pathogens use to invade plant hosts. The appointed student will design, synthesise, and test compounds which specifically prevent essential protein-protein interactions used by pathogens to cause disease in plant hosts. An innovative platform, developed in the supervisor’s lab, will be used to design peptides and small molecules that can disrupt the formation of protein complexes that facilitate disease. This interdisciplinary chemical biology and plant biology project will involve training in cutting-edge science including computational design and peptide/small molecule synthesis, as well as evaluation of the compounds for binding to proteins and their disease inhibitory activity in plants.

Led by Dr Andrew Beekman and Professor Wenbo Ma, there is an opportunity to learn medicinal chemistry/chemical biology, protein biochemistry, cellular biology, and plant biology, using facilities across the School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology and The Sainsbury Laboratory. The student will be based in a highly collaborative research environment with a strong commitment to excellent in science and professional development.

This project will develop a multidisciplinary scientist with expertise from chemical to cell biology. You will have, or expect to obtain a first class, 2(i) or equivalent Honours degree in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, or a related area.

Informal enquiries are welcomed: Dr Andrew Beekman (a.beekman@uea.ac.uk) or Professor Wenbo Ma (Wenbo.Ma@tsl.ac.uk).

The Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Programme (NRPDTP) is offering fully funded studentships for October 2026 entry. The programme offers postgraduates the opportunity to undertake a 4-year PhD research project whilst enhancing professional development and research skills through a comprehensive training programme. You will join a vibrant community of world-leading researchers. All NRPDTP students undertake a three-month professional internship placement (PIPS) during their study. The placement offers exciting and invaluable work experience designed to enhance professional development. Full support and advice will be provided by our Professional Internship team.

This project has been shortlisted for funding by the NRPDTP. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed on 3,4 or 5 February 2026.

Visit our website for further information on eligibility and how to apply: https://biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/.

Our partners value diverse and inclusive work environments that are positive and supportive. Students are selected for admission without regard to gender, marital or civil partnership status, disability, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, age or social background.

To maximise accessibility and attract students from underrepresented groups to our programme we have introduced bespoke templates for applicant Personal and Research statements which will enable every applicant to fully represent themselves through providing suitable examples and evidence. These forms are on the NRPDTP website and must be used for these sections of the application form.

Entry requirements

At least UK equivalence Bachelors (Honours) 2:1. English Language requirement (Faculty of Science equivalent: IELTS 6.5 overall, 6 in each category).

Funding

This project is awarded with a 4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD DTP studentship. The studentship includes payment of tuition fees (directly to the University), a stipend to cover living expenses (2025/6 stipend rate: £20,780), and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000pa for each year of the studentship.

References

Li H, Wang J, Tung AK, Tang B, Feng L, Wang J, Cheng Z, Skłenar J, Derbyshire, P, Hulin MT, Li Y, Zhai Y, Hou Y, MacLean D, Menke FLH, Wang Y*, Ma W* Pathogen protein modularity enables elaborate mimicry of a host phosphatase. Cell. 2023, 186, 3196-3207. doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.05.049.

Howell, L. A. & Beekman, A. M.*, In silico peptide-directed ligand design complements experimental peptide-directed binding for protein–protein interaction modulator discovery, RSC Chemical Biology, 2021, 2, 215-219. doi.org/10.1039/D0CB00148A

Beekman, A. M.*, Cominetti, M. M. D., Walpole, S. J., Prabhu, S., O’Connell, M. A., Angulo, J. & Searcey, M. Identification of selective protein–protein interaction inhibitors using efficient in silico peptide-directed ligand design. Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 4502-4508. doi.org/10.1039/C9SC00059C

Hou, Y., Zhai, Y., Feng, L., Karimi, H.Z., Rutter, B.D., Zeng, L., Choi, D.S., Zhang, B., Gu, W., Chen, X., Ye, W., Innes, R.W., Zhai, J., Ma, W.* A Phytophthora effector suppresses trans-kingdom RNAi to promote disease susceptibility. Cell Host & Microbe, 2019, 25, 153-165. doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2018.11.007.

He, J., Ye, W., Choi, DS, Wu, B., Zhai, Y., Guo, B., Duan, S., Wang, Y., Gan, J., Ma, W.*, Ma, J.* (2019) Structural analysis of Phytophthora suppressor of RNA silencing 2 (PSR2) reveals a conserved modular fold contributing to virulence. Proc Natl Acad Sci, 2019, 116, 8054-8059. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1819481116

Chemical biology to defend crops: Disrupting the protein interactions pathogens use to invade plants (BEEKMAN_U26DTP)

Project description

Entry requirements

Funding

References