PhD Opportunity: Eco-evolutionary dynamics of antimicrobial resistance in microbial communities

Applications are invited for a PhD position in the research group of Dr Andrew Letten at the School of the Environment, University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia. The successful candidate will join a newly funded ARC Future Fellowship project - Building resilience without resistance in microbial communities - which aims to understand how environmental fluctuations shape microbial community stability and the evolution of antimicrobial resistance. Using microbial communities associated with the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), the research will combine laboratory experiments and modelling to investigate how fluctuations in nutrients and antimicrobial exposure influence community dynamics, pathogen invasion, and resistance evolution. 

The PhD project can be tailored to the interests and background of the successful applicant and may emphasize: experimental microbial ecology and evolution, antimicrobial resistance, mathematical modelling, or genomics and bioinformatics. The student will join an interdisciplinary research group working across ecology, evolution, microbiology, mathematics, and bioinformatics, and will have opportunities to collaborate with leading researchers in Australia and internationally.

The successful candidate will be nominated by Dr Letten for a University of Queensland Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship in the upcoming international scholarship round. The RTP provides a tax-free living stipend and associated benefits for highly ranked international PhD candidates. Scholarship awards are competitive and subject to University of Queensland selection processes; however, this project is supported by a funded ARC Future Fellowship and the successful applicant will receive Dr Letten's nomination for an RTP scholarship.

Applicants should have: a strong academic background in ecology, evolution, microbiology, mathematics, statistics, bioinformatics, or a related discipline; an Honours or Masters degree suitable for admission to a PhD at UQ; strong quantitative and/or experimental skills; and excellent written and verbal communication skills. Prior experience with microbial systems, programming (e.g. R or Python), mathematical modelling, genomics, or experimental evolution would be advantageous.

To apply, please email a CV, academic transcripts, referee contact details, and a brief statement of interest (<200 words) to a.letten@uq.edu.au. Informal enquiries are welcome.

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