PhD Studentship - Bacterial Pathogen Evolution during Antibiotic-Phage Combination Treatment

Overview

The University of Exeter is offering a PhD studentship on bacterial pathogen evolution during antibiotic and phage combination treatment, based at the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on the Penryn Campus. The project is one of those competing for a place among up to 18 MRC-funded studentships offered through the GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Programme across biomedical disciplines, with a start date of October 2027.

Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to modern medicine, and bacteriophage therapy is a promising route to treating drug-resistant infections. Yet phage therapy can fail when bacteria evolve resistance or deploy defence systems that block infection. This project asks how antibiotics reshape phage-bacteria interactions, the evolution of resistance and cell-to-cell variation in bacterial responses. The student will combine experimental evolution, microbiology, single-cell imaging and biochemistry, working across Exeter, Bath and Bristol. Patient and public involvement will keep the project focused on clinically relevant questions and the future use of phage therapy.

Who can apply

The four-year studentships are open to UK and international students.

What you get

The studentship covers UK tuition fees and a doctoral stipend matching the UK Research Council national minimum, £21,805 per year for 2026/27, updated each year. Additional research training and support funding of up to £5,000 per year is also available.

How to apply

Applications are made through the university's online application route.

Key dates

The closing date is 21 October 2026, and the studentship starts in October 2027.