PhD Studentship: Where does Salmonella hide? Using Organ-on-Chip technology to uncover the secrets of persistent infection University of East Anglia in United Kingdom

[4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD studentship including tuition fees paid directly to the University, a stipend of £21,805 for 2026/27, and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per year.]

PhD studentship at the University of East Anglia, based at the Quadram Institute on the Norwich Research Park, focused on one of the key unanswered questions in infectious disease biology: how does Salmonella persist and hide within the human host?

This interdisciplinary project investigates persistent asymptomatic infection and the mechanisms that allow non-typhoidal Salmonella to establish long-term colonisation. The work will build comparative infection models representing important tissue environments linked to persistence, including intestinal, hepatic, immune and gallbladder niches. Using a progression from static cell culture systems to dynamic Organ-on-Chip technologies, the student will study the host environments that support survival, adaptation and the emergence of persistent Salmonella populations.

The project combines bacterial genomics, host–pathogen biology, host–microbe interactions, advanced imaging, and computational and experimental infection biology. It is designed to provide broad training across experimental and analytical approaches while contributing to a fundamental research problem with clear relevance to public health, antimicrobial exposure and recurrent disease.

Supervision is provided by Dr Gemma Langridge, with expertise in Salmonella genomics and persistence, and Dr Aimée Parker, whose strengths include host–microbe interactions, advanced imaging and physiologically relevant infection models. Together they offer an interdisciplinary training environment within a wider research community of microbiologists, bioinformaticians and food scientists, with access to state-of-the-art facilities and opportunities for collaboration and professional development.

The award is a 4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD studentship. Funding includes tuition fees paid directly to the university, a stipend for living expenses (£21,805 for 2026/27), and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per year. The studentship also includes cohort-based training, transferable skills development and a funded three-month professional internship in a non-academic setting such as industry, policy, education or science communication.

Applicants should normally hold at least a UK-equivalent 2:1 Bachelors (Honours) degree. The English language requirement is IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each category. The mode of study is full-time, and the stated start date is 1 October 2027. Applications should be submitted via the UEA postgraduate research application portal before the deadline.