The School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences at Queen Mary is one of the UK’s elite research centres, according to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF). We offer a multi-disciplinary research environment and have approximately 180 PhD students working on projects in the biological and psychological sciences. Our students have access to a variety of research facilities supported by experienced staff, as well as a range of student support services.
Research in the Engl lab aims to uncover how bacteria communicate with, adapt to, and shape their environment. Our objective is to gain a mechanistic understanding of the physiological processes that enable bacteria to survive and thrive in their ecological niches.
This will allow us to effectively confront their harmful consequences and exploit their benefits to facilitate sustainable living and healthy aging in the future. We therefore study adaptive responses in a range of bacteria from signal perception to gene regulation and phenotypic output at single-molecule, single-cell and community-level resolution.
Our PhD students become part of Queen Mary’s Doctoral College which provides training and development opportunities, advice on funding, and financial support for research. Our students also have access to a Researcher Development Programme designed to help recognise and develop key skills and attributes needed to effectively manage research, and to prepare and plan for the next stages of their career.
The PhD student will be based in a vibrant, state-of-the-art and multi-disciplinary research environment and receive training in advanced molecular and cellular biology, fluorescence imaging, analytical techniques and systems-level omics-based approaches to monitor the response of bacterial cells as they cycle through periods of feast, famine and dormancy while encountering challenges to their RNA processing machinery.
In their natural habitat, bacteria frequently cycle through periods of feast and famine, and so they must adapt to sudden shifts in nutrient availability by rapidly switching between slow and fast growth. Under extreme conditions, when growth can no longer be sustained, bacteria enter dormancy, a quiescent state akin to hibernation in animals and plants. However, the complex pathways that underpin this behaviour, and in particular the role of RNA processing, as well as the precise signalling molecules that communicate which growth state a bacterial cell adopts, are not fully understood.
The aim of this PhD project is to elucidate the role of RNA processing in the awakening of bacteria from dormancy. The project will thereby provide a new context in which to understand the fundamental biological processes that underpin the transition from slow to fast growth during the bacterial life cycle.
These growth states are universal to all bacteria, regardless of their ecological niche, and hence this study has far-reaching implications within real-life settings. The outcomes of this project aim to provide fundamental knowledge that facilitates successful tackling of global challenges associated with bacteria, may they be societal (food security), commercial (pharmaceutical production) or clinical (antimicrobial resistance).
This studentship is open to students applying for China Scholarship Council funding. Queen Mary University of London has partnered with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to offer a joint scholarship programme to enable Chinese students to study for a PhD programme at Queen Mary. Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses for 4 years and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Applicants must be:- Chinese students with a strong academic background.- Students holding a PR Chinese passport.- Either be resident in China at the time of application or studying overseas.- Students with prior experience of studying overseas (including in the UK) are eligible to apply. Chinese QMUL graduates/Masters’ students are therefore eligible for the scheme.Please refer to the CSC website for full details on eligibility and conditions on the scholarship.
Applicants from outside of the UK are required to provide evidence of their English Language ability. Please see our English Language requirements page for details: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/international-students/englishlanguagerequirements/postgraduateresearch/
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Dr Christoph Engl at c.engl@qmul.ac.uk
Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 31st January 2024 for consideration, including a CV, personal statement and qualifications. You must meet the IELTS/ English Language requirements for your course and submit all required documentation (including evidence of English Language) by 14th March 2024. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your application, then you will be issued an QMUL Offer Letter, conditional on securing a CSC scholarship along with academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements. Once applicants have obtained their QMUL Offer Letter, they should then apply to CSC for the scholarship by in March 2024 with the support of the supervisor.
Only applicants who are successful in their application to CSC can be issued an unconditional offer and enrol on our PhD programme. For further information, please go to: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/scholarships/items/china-scholarship-council-scholarships.html
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1: McDonald et al (2023) What is microbial dormancy? Trends Microbiol https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2023.08.006.
2: Dworkin & Harwood (2022) Metabolic reprogramming and longevity in quiescence. Annual Rev Microbiol 76, 91-111.
3: Giuliano & Engl (2021) The Lifecycle of ribosomal RNA in bacteria. In: Kotta-Loizou I, editor. RNA Damage and Repair. Cham (CH): Springer. Chapter 2.
4: Fisher et al (2017) Persistent bacterial infections and persister cells. Nat Rev Microbiol 15, 453–464.