Version 2 Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway ­­ Ciência sem Fronteiras PhD Project Template •
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Use one form per project Please complete & submit to international@nuigalway.ie as soon as possible, and by 27/11/2012 In your email, begin the subject line with [SWB] (be sure to use square brackets) to ensure that your email is filed correctly. Emails will be automatically filed PI name & contact details: Professor Lokesh Joshi Phone +353‐91‐495768 Email:Lokesh.joshi@nuigalway.ie Natural Sciences School: Research Centre / group affiliation: Glycoscience Research Group Research group / centre website: http://ncbes.eurhost.net/glycoscience‐group.aspx PI website / link to CV: http://ncbes.eurhost.net/bio/lokesh‐joshi.aspx Brief summary of PI research / research group / centre activity (2 or 3 lines max): The Glycoscience Group at NUI Galway is developing next generation high‐throughput technologies for rapid interrogation and profiling of glycans and glycan‐lectin interactions that are needed to accelerate the field of Glycoscience and is working with clinical and industrial collaborators to apply these technologies to the study of a diverse range of physiological and disease processes and industrial activities, including stem cell differentiation, tumour metastasis, immune regulation, infections, biopharmaceutical characterisation and bioactive carbohydrate identification. Title & brief description of PhD project (suitable for publication on web): Title: Probiotic adhesins The gut microbiota play an important role in human health and their dysregulation is known to be associated with many diseases. This has led to efforts to re‐establish the normal flora. One approach is to administer specific live micro‐organisms (probiotics) in the diet where there is a proven health benefit to the host. Very little is known however about how probiotics are retained in and colonise the gut, but carbohydrates are involved. There are a number of PhD project opportunities aimed at the identification and understanding of the role of lectin‐like adhesins in probiotic species. Unique selling points of PhD project in NUI Galway: The glycoscience group is a multidisciplinary team of biologists, chemists, clinicians, bioinformatics specialists and molecular biologists. The glycoscience laboratory contains state of the facilities for glycoanalytic techniques and custom generated high‐throughput glyco‐profiling array systems Version 2 Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway ­­ Ciência sem Fronteiras including lectin arrays, mucin arrays, neoglycoconjugate arrays and synthetic glycan arrays. Discovery of novel glycan binding agents takes place using our discovery platforms (phage display and SELEX). The group has significant industrial interactions across a wide spectrum of areas, including biopharma, diagnostics, functional foods and cosmetics. Industrial and academic links have been forged across the globe to provide glyco‐based solutions to current biomedical and biotechnological issues. NUI Galway has recently commenced a structured PhD programme further details can be found at http://www.nuigalway.ie/courses/research‐postgraduate‐programmes/structured‐phd/#ColSci Name & contact details for project queries, if different from PI named above: Please indicate the graduates of which disciplines that should apply: 1. Biochemistry 2. Biotechnology 3. Chemistry Ciência sem Fronteiras / Science Without Borders Priority Area: Please indicate the specific programme priority area under which the proposed PhD project fits‐ choose only one (tick box): Engineering and other technological areas Pure and Natural Sciences (e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry)/Physical Sciences (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geosciences) Health and Biomedical Sciences / Clinical, Pré‐clinical and Health Sciences
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Computing
Aerospace Pharmaceuticals Sustainable Agricultural Production Oil, Gas and Coal Renewable Energy Minerals, Minerals Technology Biotechnology X
Nanotechnology and New Materials Technologies for Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Disasters
Bioprospecting and Biodiversity Marine Sciences Creative Industry New technologies in constructive engineering
Please indicate which of the following applies to this project (referring to Science Without Borders arrangements): Suitable only as a Full PhD (Y/N): _ ____ Version 2 Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway ­­ Ciência sem Fronteiras Available to candidates seeking a Sandwich PhD arrangement (Y/N): _____ Suitable for either/Don’t know: __Y___