How to build an immune receptor: AI-led protein design for engineering disease resistance (BANFIELD_J27DTP)
Key details
- Application Deadline
- 30 November 2026 23:59 UK Time
- Location
- John Innes Centre
- Funding Type
- Competition Funded (Home and International)
- Start Date
- 1 October 2027
- Mode of Study
- Full Time
- Programme Type
- PhD
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Project Description
Primary Supervisor - Professor Mark Banfield
Like animals, plants get sick, but they have an immune system to fight back against infection. Plant diseases are a threat to food production and a constraint on achieving food security against the background of a changing climate and the need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Understanding how components of the plant immune system (e.g. evolved plant immune receptors) work to detect and respond to pathogens, and how they can be engineered, offers new opportunities to protecting crops and secure higher yielding harvests in a sustainable way. However, emerging computational protein design tools enable “bottom-up” approaches to develop de novo new-to-nature immune receptors with tailored functions, offering exciting potential in agriculture against a range of important diseases.
This project will investigate how to computationally build and combine recognition-switch-execute modules to recognise pathogen molecules, turn the receptor “on” and elicit a cellular response, which in a host-pathogen infection situation would prevent disease. The project will investigate the molecular mechanisms of how these receptors work using both in vitro and in vivo approaches and explore how they can be deployed to manage plant diseases. The studentship spans interdisciplinary techniques including computational protein design, molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology, in planta assays, and plant pathology. There will opportunities to work with leading national and international collaborators.
The student will receive expert training in diverse disciplines on a strategically relevant topic, within a stimulating research environment. They will join a team of researchers with shared interests and have access to world-class facilities. Further, it is expected they will attend national/international conferences to present their research.
The Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Programme (NRPDTP) is offering fully funded studentships for October 2027 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 the 2nd, 3rd and 4th February 2027.
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 (2026/27 stipend rate: £21,805, and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000pa for each year of the studentship.
References
Xi Y, Bucknell AH, Watson JL, Maqbool A, Bennett JW, Goreshnik I, Vafeados D, Knight G, Zdrzałek R, Rodney CA, Saado I, Stone CE, Turley EK, Yu DS, Gentle A, Ryder LS, Yan X, Were V, Heddle J6, Baker D, Emmrich PMF, Talbot NJ, Banfield MJ & Bentham AR (2026) Computational design of de novo integrated domains enables rational control of pathogen effector recognition in plant NLR immune receptors. bioRxiv: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.10.737686. Yu DS, Zdrzałek R, Katayama E, Akiyama H, Daykin L, Williams NJ, Goodridge I, Asuke S & Banfield MJ* (2026) Engineering plant tandem kinase immune receptors expands effector recognition profiles. bioRxiv: https://doi.org/10.64898/2025.12.15.694194. Accepted at Science Advances. Saado I, Brabham HJ, Bennett JW, Lam AHC, Moscou MJ, De la Concepcion JC & Banfield MJ* (2026) Engineering an Exo70 integrated domain of a barley NLR for improved blast resistance. The Plant Cell 38: koag168. Zdrzałek R, Xi Y, Langner T, Bentham AR, Petit-Houdenot Y, De la Concepcion JC, Harant A, Shimizu M, Were V, Talbot NJ, Terauchi R, Kamoun S & Banfield MJ* (2024) Bioengineering a plant NLR immune receptor with a robust binding interface towards a conserved fungal pathogen effector. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 121: e2402872121. Maidment JH, Shimizu M, Sham V, Franceschetti M, Longya A, Stevenson CEM, De la Concepcion JC, Białas A, Kamoun S, Terauchi R & Banfield MJ* (2023) Effector target-guided engineering of an integrated domain expands the disease resistance profile of a rice NLR immune receptor. eLife 12: e81123.