Promoting creative, curiosity-driven frontier bioscience to address fundamental questions in biology
*CASE: These are CASE DTP studentships. As part of the programme, you will be required to undertake a placement with the CASE partner for a minimum of 3 months.
*AP: These are Standard DTP studentships with an associate partner where you will be required to spend time with each of the partners. You will be asked to apply to one of the partners (as listed in the ‘Host Institution’ column), but this is just for administration purposes. You will then be registered for your postgraduate studies at one of the partner universities of the lead supervisors. Your registered university will be confirmed by the DTP following the interview stage of the selection process.
| PROJECT TITLE | MAIN / ROTHAMSTED / LEAD SUPERVISOR | HOST INSTITUTION | KEYWORDS |
| A modular approach to the design and construction of protein-based, multi-centre redox and light harvesting chains | Dr Ross Anderson | University of Bristol | De novo protein design, heme, electron transfer, computational design |
| A whole genome CRISPRi mitophagy screen for regulators of mitochondrial protein import quality control | Dr Jon Lane | University of Bristol | Cell biology, biochemistry, CRISPRi, mitophagy, mitochondrial protein import |
| Activation of the plant cell cycle by sugars; pathways involved in stimulation of CYCD expression by carbohydrates | Dr Walter Dewitte | Cardiff University | Forward genetic screen, CYCLIN D2, arabidopsis thaliana, next generation sequencing, sugar |
| Amyloid transcription block survival – Deriving functionally active peptide inhibitors of amyloidosis and toxicity | Prof Jody Mason | University of Bath | Parkinson’s disease, amyloid, alpha-synuclein, protein-protein interactions, peptide inhibitors |
| Ancestral functions of genes regulated by imprinting in mammals | Prof Andrew Ward | University of Bath | Developmental biology, epigenetics, evolution, growth, imprinting |
| Applying next generation structural biology methods to bacterial vaccine production | Prof Nicholas Harmer | University of Exeter (Streatham) | Crystallography, structural biology, micro electron diffraction, polysaccharide, cryo-EM |
| Bioelectrical signatures of environmental sensing by microbial populations | Dr Kirsty Y. Wan | University of Exeter (Streatham) | Motility, behaviour, biosensing, bioelectricity, algae |
| Biosensing using arrays of de novo designed proteins *CASE | Prof Derek N Woolfson | University of Bristol | Biosensor, biotechnology, ultrafast fluorescence spectroscopy, peptide chemistry, peptide design and modelling |
| Building integrated bionanohybrid circuits by design: understanding and applying single protein molecule function | Dr Dafydd Jones | Cardiff University | Synthetic biology, protein engineering, nanoscience, antimicrobial resistance, single molecule studies |
| Cerebellar control of cognition via higher-order thalamus | Dr Paul Chadderton | University of Bristol | Neuroscience, cortex, cerebellum, thalamus, behaviour |
| Cholinergic modulation of spatial memory in cortical brain circuits | Dr Jonathan Witton | University of Exeter (Streatham) | Neuromodulation, learning and memory, electrophysiology, imaging, optogenetics |
| Controlling chromosome conformation and content as a step towards synthetic cellular differentiation | Dr Thomas Gorochowski | University of Bristol | Synthetic biology, nanopore sequencing, chromosome conformation, genome engineering, gene regulation |
| Coordination of the cortical code by gamma oscillations during learning | Dr Joseph O’Neill | Cardiff University | Neuroscience, learning and memory, optogenetics, sensory, cerebral cortex |
| Defining the role of membrane stability in the ability of Staphylococcus aureus to form part of the human microbiome | Prof Ruth Massey | University of Bristol | Membrane stability, microbiome, staphylococcus aureus |
| Design of new fluorescent sensors for measuring heme in cells | Prof Emma Raven | University of Bristol | Synthetic biology |
| Determining the conformational dynamics of the immune regulator STING and their control by STING ligands *CASE | Dr Charlotte Dodson | University of Bath | Biophysics, chemical biology, protein dynamics, single molecule, innate immunity/cancer |
| Developing a new bio-imaging tool for correlative light electron microscopy | Prof Paola Borri | Cardiff University | Bioimaging, biophysics, optical microscopy, electron microscopy, nanoparticles |
| Development of a platform for tracking the stability of advanced BioTherapeutics *AP | Dr Christopher Pudney / Prof Steve Conlan | University of Bath (apply here) / Swansea University | Biophamaceuticals, antibodies, exosomes, biophysics, fluorescence |
| Development of peptide-based delivery systems to improve biotherapeutic efficacy within multicellular tumour models | Dr Peter Watson | Cardiff University | Bioimaging, microscopy, cell biology, drug discovery, biotherapeutics |
| Development, function and evolution of the mammalian jaw joint and middle ear | Prof Emily Rayfield | University of Bristol | Evolution, development, mammals, biomechanics, function |
| Elucidating the genetic and biochemical architecture underpinning cross-kingdom interactions | Dr Stephanie Diezmann | University of Bristol | Microbiology, microbial communication, whole genome sequencing, genome-scale competition assays, mode-of-action analyses |
| Endothelin signaling and neural crest development in zebrafish | Prof Robert Kelsh | University of Bath | Endothelin, endothelin receptor, neural crests, pigment cells, peripheral nervous system |
| Engineering biosynthetic pathways and biocatalysts to deliver new antimicrobial compounds | Prof Chris Willis | University of Bristol | Biocatalysts, natural products, spectroscopy, synthesis, synthetic biology |
| Establishing evolutionary timescales | Prof Philip Donoghue | University of Bristol | Molecular clock, timescale, evolution, calibration, phylogeny |
| Genomic and transcriptional mechanisms underpinning temperature homeostasis and pathogenicity in two amphibian-killing chytrid fungi | Dr Rhys Farrer | University of Exeter (Streatham) | Bioinformatics, genomics, mycology, chytrids, evolution |
| High resolution imaging of extracellular matrix formation | Prof David Stephens | University of Bristol | Extracellular matrix, high resolution microscopy, cell biology, membrane trafficking, atomic force microscopy |
| Individual differences in learning and behaviour: Computational models and in vivo experimentation | Prof Rob Honey | Cardiff University | Affect, cognition, behaviour, computational models |
| Mechanisms of electroreception in bumblebees and honeybees | Prof Daniel Robert | University of Bristol | Neuroethology, sensory biophysics, insect behaviour, plant-pollinator interactions |
| Mechanisms of molecular recognition by the prokaryotic argonautes | Prof Mark Szczelkun | University of Bristol | Argonautes, prokaryotic defence systems, genome engineering, biophysics, single-molecule microscopy |
| Memories of touch: The role of higher order cortical areas in processing and remembering tactile textures | Prof Kevin Fox | Cardiff University | Neuroscience, learning and memory, DREADDs, sensory, cerebral cortex |
| Merging maths and biology to understand how the dynamics of dentate gyrus circuitry supports memory formation in hippocampus | Prof Zafar Bashir | University of Bristol | Pattern separation, memory, electrophysiology, hippocampus, computational neuroscience |
| Modelling the effect of ageing in silico and on Drosophila and mouse clock neurons | Dr James Hodge | University of Bristol | Drosophila, electrophysiology, computational modelling, circadian rhythms, ageing |
| Molecular characterisation, modelling and prediction of organelle membrane dynamics in health and disease | Prof Michael Schrader | University of Exeter (Streatham) | Molecular cell biology, biophysics, mathematic modelling, membrane dynamics, organelles |
| Phosphoregulation of argonaute function in synaptic plasticity and memory | Prof Jonathan Hanley | University of Bristol | Neuroscience, memory, microRNA, synaptic plasticity, translation |
| Phylogeny-guided (meta) genome mining for the discovery of antimicrobial natural products from marine bacteria | Dr Patricia Sanchez-Baracaldo | University of Bristol | Phylogenetics, microbiology, genomics, bioinformatics, marine biology, natural products, biosynthesis |
| Physiological capacity of hibernating bats and implications for immunity and viral load | Dr Orly Razgour | University of Exeter (Streatham) | Animal physiology, immunology, virology, bat, hibernation |
| Predicting the outcome of coinfection using a model of TB in mice | Dr Joanne Lello | Cardiff University | Coinfection, immune response, One Health,TB, pathogens |
| Rational design of phage-antibiotic therapies as the new frontier for tackling antibiotic resistance | Dr Stefano Pagliara | University of Exeter (Streatham) | Microbiology, phage biology, biophysics, antimicrobial resistance, systems biology |
| Seaweed diseases: understanding seaweed host-pathogen interactions to improve commercial seaweed production *AP | Dr Michiel Vos / Dr Ruth Airs | University of Exeter (Penryn) (apply here) / Plymouth Marine Laboratory | Infection ecology, bioinformatics, metabolomics, microbiology, chemical ecology |
| Simulation-led investigation and engineering of enzymes involved in abyssomicin antibiotic biosynthesis | Dr Marc van der Kamp | University of Bristol | Structural biology, biomolecular simulation, enzymology, biosynthesis, synthetic biology |
| Single molecule dynamics of enzyme catalysis for thermoadaptation and design | Prof Adrian Mulholland | University of Bristol | Enzymology, protein dynamics, simulation, biophysics |
| Spatial and temporal resolution of the cellular (oxy) lipidome and its relation to inflammatory cell function *AP | Prof Andrew Crosby / Prof Helen Griffiths | University of Exeter (St Luke’s) (apply here) / Swansea University | Genetics, biochemistry, lipid metabolism, mitochondria immunology |
| Structure: Function correlation in CtIP: a key DNA repair factor implicated in human disease | Prof Mark Dillingham | University of Bristol | DNA repair, genetic instability, cancer, biochemistry, cell biology |
| The biology and biotechnological potential of marine fungi bioprocessing *AP | Dr Mike Allen / Dr Michael Cunliffe | University of Exeter (Streatham) (apply here) / Marine Biological Association | Fungi, biology, biotechnology, bioprocessing, enzymes |
| The cardiac dyad signalling proteome and its modulation during cardiac protection | Prof Christian Soeller | University of Exeter (Streatham) | Heart, protein-protein interactions, super-resolution microscopy, mass spectrometry, proteomics |
| The impact of change in the environment and the ability to deal with it on an individual’s affective state and welfare | Prof Michael Mendl | University of Bristol | Animal welfare, affective state, learning, prediction error, individual differences |
| The interplay between microbes and host in the development of the zebra fish enteric nervous system | Dr Andrew Preston | University of Bath | Microbiome, zebra fish, development, bioinformatics, cell biology |
| The landscape of a parasite surface: Characterisation of the exposed invariant epitopes on the surface of African trypanosomes as putative targets of novel immunotherapeutics *CASE | Dr Paula MacGregor | University of Bristol | Trypanosomes, parasitology, molecular biology, molecular modelling, peptides |
| The mechanisms and evolution of senescence in microbes | Dr Andrew Young | University of Exeter (Penryn) | Biology, evolution, ageing, mathematics, microbiology |
| The nature of modularity in polyketide synthases: a computational design approach to understand and engineer biological assembly lines | Prof Matthew Crump | University of Bristol | Polyketide synthase, NMR spectroscopy, protein design, chemical biology, protein biochemistry |
| The role of bacterial immune systems in the spread of antimicrobial resistance | Prof Edze Westra | University of Exeter (Penryn) | Bacteria, CRISPR-Cas, restriction-modification, antimicrobial resistance, antibiotics |
| The role of VTA GABA neurons in reward learning | Dr Paul Dodson | University of Bristol | Dopamine, reward, GABA, computational modelling, neuroscience |
| The roles of YAP/TAZ-WBP2 interplay in epidermal tissue repair | Dr Gernot Walko | University of Bath | Cell biology, molecular biology, systems biology, transcriptional regulation, stem cells |
| Visual-spatial processing within the retrosplenial cortex | Prof Seralynne Vann | Cardiff University | Neuroscience, brain imaging, behaviour, neural circuits, memory |
| What are they talking about? A study investigating the meanings behind ultrasonic vocalisations | Prof Emma Robinson | University of Bristol | Animal emotion, welfare, affective biases, machine learning, DeepSqueak |
| Windows of opportunity: epigenetic sensitive windows spanning generations | Dr Bram Kuijper | University of Exeter (Penryn) | Epigenetics, Development, DNA methylation, Developmental origins of health, Paternal effects |