"Graduate Position: UExeter.MicrobialAMREvolution PhD-student position in microbial evolution and AMR at the University of Exeter and the University of Queensland. The UQ Exeter Institute is seeking exceptional students to join a world-leading, international research partnership tackling major challenges facing the global community in sustainability and wellbeing. Our joint PhD program provides a fantastic opportunity for the most talented doctoral students to work closely with world class research groups and benefit from the combined expertise and facilities at The University of Queensland and the University of Exeter. This prestigious program provides full tuition fees, stipend, travel and development funds and Research Training Support Grants to the successful applicants. This select group of high-calibre doctoral candidates will have the chance to study in the UK and Australia, and will graduate with a joint PhD degree from The University of Queensland and the University of Exeter. The studentship provides funding for up to 42 months (3.5 years). THE PROJECT Recent studies have shown that levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) increase at higher environmental temperatures, but we know very little about the mechanisms causing this correlational pattern. This project will use experiments, DNA sequencing, and mathematical modelling to increase our understanding of these mechanisms. The key objective is to understand how temperature impacts the transfer rate and maintenance of plasmids in bacterial communities, which is one of the key ways that AMR spreads. Specifically, plasmid transfer should occur faster when bacteria have high growth rates and low mortality. As these microbial traits are temperature dependent, we should be able to predict plasmid transfer from the temperature response of the donor and recipient bacteria. Temperature will also change the selection for AMR. Being a plasmid-carrier can be costly in the absence of antibiotics, so the project will test how the costs and benefits of resistance traits change with temperature. If the strength of selection changes across temperatures, this may alter the rate at which bacteria evolve to overcome the costs of carrying the plasmids. This project will take advantage of a library of Escherichia coli isolates, isolated from cattle, and a collection of plasmids that the isolates can take up. The plasmids have broad host ranges, high transfer rates, and have been found in different natural environments, making them relevant for spreading AMR in the environment. This set of isolates will be supplemented with several E. coli isolates that cause infections in humans allowing us to understand the conditions through which environmental E. coli may spread antibiotic resistance to pathogenic strains. Below we suggest three different components of this project, but will encourage any PhD student to take ownership of the project to align it to their key interests. OBJECTIVES 1. Understand how plasmid transfer rate changes across temperatures in environmental and clinical bacteria. Plasmid transfer rate is linked to the growth rates of the donor and recipient bacteria. We predict plasmid transfer across bacteria to be highest close to their optimal temperatures.  2. Understand how selection for resistance changes across temperatures.We will quantify the cost of plasmid carriage and the impact of antibiotics on susceptible bacteria at different temperatures to quantify how the selection for resistance changes. 3. Understand how plasmid spread and dynamics of bacteria change across temperatures in natural communities. We will use a range of methods (metagenomic sequencing, phenotypic assays, flow cytometry, qPCR) to measure how temperature affects plasmid carriage in simple and diverse communities.  This interdisciplinary project will combine experiments, sequencing, and mathematical modelling to build and validate a mechanistic model linking temperature-dependent traits to AMR spread. Ultimately, these findings could inform mitigation strategies for AMR by informing risk prediction by identifying temperatures at which control measures targeting plasmids might be most effective and key antibiotics whose selection for resistance changes drastically across strains or temperatures. Key references: [1] https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.1110 [2] https://doi.org/10.64898/2025.12.03.692229 [3] https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00228-21 CONTACT Questions about this project should be directed to Dr Daniel Padfield at D.Padfield@exeter.ac.uk You can find more information about the project and how to apply here: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/funding/award/?id=5844 Many thanks Dan Dr Daniel Padfield (he/him) NERC Independent Research Fellow Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Tremough Campus Penryn Cornwall TR10 9EZ Github: https://github.com/padpadpadpad Lab website: https://padpadpadpad.netlify.app/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/padpadpadpad.bsky.social Please note: I work flexibly to manage work and caring responsibilities. Therefore I may send or respond to e-mails outside of normal working hours. Ido not expect a response outside of your own working pattern. "Padfield, Daniel" (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)