Cracking the Chain of Command in Multidrug Efflux Evolution (WEBBER_Q27DTP)
Key details
- Application Deadline
- 30 November 2026 23:59 UK Time
- Location
- Quadram Institute Bioscience
- Funding Type
- Competition Funded (Home and International)
- Start Date
- 1 October 2027
- Mode of Study
- Full-time
)
Welcome to Norwich
According to the Sunday Times, this city is one of the best places to live in the UK.
Project Description
Primary Supervisor - Professor Mark Webber
Are you passionate about understanding antibiotic resistance at the molecular level? Join Professor Mark Webber and Dr Gemma Langridge at the Quadram Institute Bioscience for a cutting-edge PhD project exploring how bacteria evolve multidrug resistance.
Bacteria carry multiple efflux pumps, yet only a few dominate resistance in clinical isolates. Why this is the case is unclear. This project will investigate the hierarchy of multidrug efflux systems in E. coli and beyond, testing whether this hierarchy is condition-dependent and alterable.
Using a massive transposon library of 800,000+ mutants, you'll map fitness impacts across diverse conditions—anaerobic growth, biofilms, serum, and more. You'll explore how pump removal reshapes resistance hierarchies and separate functional from regulatory costs.
You'll gain expert training in microbial evolution, genetics, transposon mutagenesis, and bioinformatics. You will be based within the state-of-the-art Quadram Institute building located on the Norwich Research Park, which host the Centre for Microbial Interactions, a vibrant research community of over 100 microbiology research groups. The project offers a wide range of opportunities for training and personal development in a world class environment.
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 (2026/27 stipend rate: £21,805, and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000pa for each year of the studentship.