We are currently advertising for a PhD position in Bioinformatics - "Understanding the host-pathogen interaction in invertebrates" at the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, United Kingdom (http://biosciences.exeter.ac.uk/).
Worldwide, annually farmed and wild caught crustaceans have a total first sale value of $40bn and disease is a major constriction on the future growth and sustainability of this industry, affecting world food security. In partnership with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), we have been building a molecular platform for understanding the disease (and resistance) process for one of the main diseases - white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), in crustaceans.
The aim of this PhD project will be to apply, evaluate, and further develop bioinformatics methods for the extraction of disease-specific biological knowledge during the infection process from large high-throughput sequencing datasets (Illumina). Our overall goal is to discover molecular biomarkers for infection and potential targets for vaccine development to combat the disease.
This PhD studentship will provide a very rich training in bioinformatics and infectious diseases in crustaceans. The student will further benefit from working within a vibrant and interdisciplinary team, with the combined benefits offered by such a partnership. The student will also have the opportunity to visit the Cefas Weymouth laboratory, which is the EU's designated Reference Laboratory for crustacean diseases.
Entry requirements: The project is primarily computer based, so we are looking for someone with excellent computer skills, including proven expertise in programming, data analysis and databases. Applicants for this studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree in Bioinformatics and/or an MSc degree in Bioinformatics or equivalent (or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK). (S)he will need to be highly motivated, enthusiastic, with good communication and interpersonal skills.
For further details, please see: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/studying/funding/award/?id=1026
