University of Bath
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PhD in Plasmid Evolution, Antibiotic Resistance, and Structural Bioinformatics University of Bath in United Kingdom
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Computer Science
Funding
4-year GW4 BioMed3 MRC DLP studentship covering tuition fees, a stipend of £21,805 per annum for 2026/27 (updated annually), and research training/support funding of up to £5,000 per annum depending on project requirements. Open to Home and International students, though international awards are limited to 30% and do not cover visa or healthcare surcharge costs.
Deadline
Oct 21, 2026
Country
United Kingdom
University
University of Bath

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About this position
PhD project at the University of Bath in the Department of Life Sciences on plasmid evolution, antibiotic resistance, bioinformatics, genomics, and structural biology.
This GW4 BioMed3 MRC Doctoral Landscape Programme project asks whether incorporating protein structure into plasmid rearrangement-distance models can better explain how plasmids evolve. The work builds on computational tools for plasmid evolution (including DCJ-Indel style models) and will investigate whether there is a consistent “grammar” of plasmid modularity across sequence blocks, genes, or structurally defined protein clusters.
Research themes: plasmid modularity, bacterial evolution, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), structural equivalence, protein structure prediction, Foldseek, ESMFold, AlphaFold2, historical bacterial culture collections, and comparative analysis of AMR versus non-AMR plasmids.
Supervisory team: Dr Zamin Iqbal (University of Bath), Dr Liam Shaw (University of Bristol), and Prof Stineke van Houte (University of Exeter).
Funding: 4-year studentship covering tuition fees, a stipend of £21,805 per year for 2026/27 (updated annually), and up to £5,000 per year for research training and support. Home and international students may apply, but international awards are limited and do not cover visa or healthcare surcharge costs.
Eligibility: suitable for applicants with a strong maths/physics/computational background and interest in biology, or a bioinformatics background with interest in algorithms. Applicants should have, or be about to obtain, at least a 2:1 (or equivalent); a 2:2 may be considered with a relevant master’s degree at Merit or above. Non-UK applicants must meet English language requirements.
Deadline: applications close at 17:00 GMT on 21 October 2026, and the programme may close early if demand is high.
How to apply: submit your application through the GW4 BioMed3 DLP online application form. You may apply for up to two projects, but only one application per candidate. The University of Bath application portal is not used at this stage.
Funding details
4-year GW4 BioMed3 MRC DLP studentship covering tuition fees, a stipend of £21,805 per annum for 2026/27 (updated annually), and research training/support funding of up to £5,000 per annum depending on project requirements. Open to Home and International students, though international awards are limited to 30% and do not cover visa or healthcare surcharge costs.
What's required
Applicants should have, or be about to obtain, a first or upper second-class UK honours degree (or equivalent) in medical sciences, computing, mathematics, or the physical sciences. A lower second-class degree may be acceptable with a Merit or above in a relevant master's degree. The project suits students with a strong maths/physics/computational background and interest in biology, or a bioinformatics background with interest in algorithms. Non-UK applicants must meet the University of Bath English language entry requirements.
How to apply
Submit a formal application directly to the GW4 BioMed3 DLP using its online application form. You may apply for up to two projects and should submit only one application per candidate. Do not apply to the University of Bath at this stage; check the DLP website for project details and updates.
More information can be found here
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