PhD Studentship - Evolutionary and Ecological Impact of the Western Lifestyle on the Gut Microbiome

[Fully funded 4-year PhD studentship: £20,780 stipend per year, payment of tuition fees, and Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per annum (Research Council Funded).] This fully funded PhD studentship at the University of East Anglia investigates the evolutionary and ecological impact of the Western lifestyle on the human gut microbiome. Supervised by Professor Falk Hildebrand and Drs Wilfried Haerty, Katarzyna Sidorczuk, and Anthony Duncan, the project is based at the Quadram/Earlham Institute within the Norwich Research Park, a vibrant hub for biosciences research. The research focuses on understanding how Western and non-Western populations differ in gut bacterial composition, diversity, and evolutionary patterns, and how these differences may influence disease risk and microbiome resilience. Key objectives include identifying distinguishing patterns between Western and non-Western microbiomes, tracking bacterial adaptation over time and across environments, and exploring the metabolic niches occupied by gut bacteria. The hosting group specializes in metagenomics and microbial evolution, developing bespoke bioinformatic solutions to analyze complex datasets. The PhD programme offers advanced training in evolutionary theory, population genetics, and high-resolution metagenomics, with opportunities to attend international conferences, collaborate with Polish researchers, and undertake a three-month industrial placement. The studentship is part of the Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Programme (NRPDTP), which provides a comprehensive professional development curriculum and a supportive research community. Funding includes a £20,780 annual stipend, full payment of tuition fees, and a £5,000 Research Training Support Grant per year. Applicants must have at least a UK 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent), prior exposure to statistics and programming, and meet English language requirements (IELTS 6.5 overall, 6.0 in each category). The programme aims for at least two high-impact publications and encourages students to develop their own research questions. Applications close on 2 December 2026, with interviews scheduled for early February 2026. For more information and to apply, visit the UEA postgraduate research portal and the NRPDTP website.