南安普敦大学招收生物科学博士

南安普敦大学招收生物科学博士    

About the Project

A 4-year BBSRC/UKRI and industry funded PhD focussed on the genetic and wider experimental tractability of the free-living C.elegans to develop nanobody technology to mitigate damaging agricultural effects of plant parasitic nematodes. Nanobodies are single chain antibodies that offer potential to selectively target the life cycle of pest organisms and increase crop production and food supply. The work is motivated to define new approaches to crop protection with potential to reduce disruptive environmental impacts on non-pest organisms. This work will be funded by an industrial collaboration between the SoCoBio DTP (https://southcoastbiosciencesdtp.ac.uk) and Syngenta. The studentship covers full tuition fees, a full UKRI stipend, funding for research training and will start October 2023. Both home, EU and international students will be eligible for the full award (stipend to support living costs and fees at research institutions UK rate). The differential between UK and international fees set by the universities can be covered SoCoBio institutional bursaries.

It will be hosted between Biological Sciences at the University of Southampton (Professor Vincent O’Connor; Dr James Dillon) and the Jealott's Hill Research Station, Syngenta Ltd (Dr Marcus Guest). We will leverage our understanding of the neural circuits that control critical behaviours that sustain the life cycle of both free living and parasitic nematodes. The project will take advantage of key proteins that control feeding and movement in the worm. We will target these proteins with nanobodies with a view disrupt function and halt the parasitic life cycle. The work will involve molecular genetics and quantitative behaviour. The works aims to define routes to investigate different ways of efficiently delivering nanobodies so they can effectively disrupt critical biological function. It will also develop understanding of molecular components underpinning critical biology in plant parasitic nematodes enhancing our ability to generate species selective disrupting nanobodies. The project is suited to candidates interested in combining ethology and chemical biology in an integrative approach to tackling nematode parasitism. Overall, this will reduce pest burden on important crops to facilitate the goal of sustainable agriculture.

For further information please contact Professor Vincent O’Connor (voconno@soton.ac.uk) and Dr James Dillon (jcd@soton.ac.uk).

Formal online applications ca be made at https://southcoastbiosciencesdtp.ac.uk/apply/ and we will close the application on 28th April and hope to short list and interview within 2-3 weeks.

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