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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:
Dr Conor P O’Byrne
School:
School of Natural Sciences
Has project been agreed with head (or
nominee) of proposed registration school?
Research Centre / group affiliation:
Microbiology
Research group / centre website:
Bacterial Stress Response Group
PI website / link to CV:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/microbiology/cpoblab/
Brief summary of PI research / research group / centre activity (2 or 3 lines max):
If you are already involved in relevant scholarly activities relating to Brazil, please mention them here.
Research activity within the group focuses on the mechanisms that food-borne bacterial pathogens
use to respond and adapt to environmental perturbations. An understanding of how these
pathogens adapt to their environment will also be central to any strategy aimed at curbing their
growth both within the host and within the food-chain.
Title & brief description of PhD project (suitable for publication on web):
Molecular mechanisms of stress sensing in the food-borne bacterial pathogen Listeria
monocytogenes. Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne bacterial pathogen that causes lifethreatening illness in humans. It is a highly adaptable pathogen and can survive harsh food
preservation regimes and also withstand the stresses encountered in the gastrointestinal tract
during the early stages of an infection. The remarkable ability to tolerate stress is controlled to a
large extent by a transcription factor called sigma B. In this project we will use molecular genetic
tools to investigate the way in which Listeria monocytogenes senses stress and activates this
transcription factor. We will focus attention on the proteins believed to comprise the sensory
apparatus . Mutagenesis and careful phenotypic studies will be used to identify and characterise the
components that are required for sensing each of the key stresses that Listeria encounters in the
food chain and within the host (pH, temperature, bile and changing osmolarity).
Key words: Bacteria, Listeria, pathogens, virulence, pathogenesis, gene transcription, sigma factor, food-borne
disease, molecular biology, stress response, gene regulation.
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Unique selling points of PhD project in NUI Galway:
The student working on this project will join an established group of researchers with existing
expertise in this area. The group has established a strong publication record in this field and the
student will be encouraged to publish their own findings. The group is based in Microbiology within
the School of Natural Sciences, which is has excellent shared facilities for molecular biology
including walk-in culture rooms, facilities for gel processing and imaging, microscopy, genomics, real
time PCR, proteomics, protein purification.
Galway combines a student-centred environment with world-leading research groups to create a
highly stimulating environment for post-graduate students. The PhD programme within
Microbiology will include options to take relevant course work in parallel with the main research
project. Topics such as scientific writing, statistical methods, presentation skills, advanced
microscopy, infection and immunity are all included as options.
Name & contact details for project queries, if different from PI named above:
Please indicate the graduates of which disciplines that should apply:
Biological science disciplines, including biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, molecular biology or
other related disciplines.
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)
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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
Nanotechnology and New Materials
Technologies for Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Disasters
Bioprospecting and Biodiversity
Marine Sciences
Creative Industry
New technologies in constructive engineering
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Please indicate which of the following applies to this project (referring to Science Without Borders
arrangements):
Suitable only as a Full PhD (Y/N): _ Y____
Available to candidates seeking a Sandwich PhD arrangement (Y/N): __N___
Suitable for either/Don’t know: _____