Postgraduate Research Student Advertising in the School of Life Sciences
Dr Kim Hardie (SoLS) and Dr Jonathan Aylott (School of Pharmacy)
Application deadline: Monday 4th April 2016
Project title: Washing away biofouling and infection
Project Description:
This exciting joint project between the University of Nottingham and Unilever will investigate
mechanisms of biofilm formation to inform the development of new consumer products that
prevent biofouling in washing machines. To do this we need to understand the molecular
mechanisms of biofilm formation. To deliver this, we will combine novel nanosensor technology
(developed by the Aylott lab) with an extensive collection of bacterial strains (hosted by the Hardie
lab), in situ biofilms and novel antimicrobials (provided by Unilever). Advances in detergent
technology have allowed people to wash clothes at lower temperatures which is good for the
environment, however a negative side effect is the formation of biofilms in the washing machine
which are malodorous and can act as a reservoir of infection. This project aims to understand the
mechanism of biofilm formation in these environments and apply novel antimicrobials to disrupt
these biofilms. Ultimately these agents will be incorporated in new consumer products.
Specifically, because nanosensors provide a novel way to monitor molecules in contact with
individual bacterial cells, they will be applied to biofilms of the predominant bacterium found in
washing machines, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa, causes significant human infections
reliant upon biofilm formation. Nanosensors penetrate P. aeruginosa biofilms and emit fluorescence
in response to environmental variations likely to be modulated by incoming antimicrobials.
There are two parallel PhD projects. One focussed on microbiology of biofilm formation, and a
second on the application of novel analytical science using nanosensors to detect biofilm disruption
by antimicrobials. Both will be in partnership with Unilever to provide real world application and
industrial placement opportunities. Both students will be embedded within vibrant research groups
with excellent facilities. The students will share access to the top UK School of Pharmacy and
University of Nottingham flagship Centre for Biomolecular Sciences building which houses state-ofthe-art fluorescent microscopes to facilitate delivery of this cross disciplinary project.
This project would suit motivated and successful graduates with the equivalent of a BSc(Hons) 2i,
either with an analytical background with interest in antimicrobials or a microbiologist with an
interest in analytical science
If
interested
please
apply
by
contacting
Jon.Aylott@nottingham.ac.uk
or
Kim.Hardie@nottingham.ac.uk with a copy of your CV and two references. For scientific queries,
please contact Jon.Aylott@nottingham.ac.uk or Kim.Hardie@nottingham.ac.uk.
Studentship is funded by BBSRC, Unilever and the University of Nottingham, and home or EU
applicants are eligible to apply. International applicants should visit our International Research
Scholarships page for information regarding fees and funding at the University.