UTS PhD Scholarship – Sydney Water- CRCSAAFE ( DOMESTIC ONLY), Australia

The last 80 years has witnessed the rapid emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogens driven by the widespread reliance on antibiotics to control infectious disease in clinical and veterinary medicine.  Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have become focal sampling sites needed to generate community scale, phylogenomic data on the evolution and spread of antimicrobial resistance and pathogen evolution in microorganisms of significance to human and animal health. This project seeks to conduct a comprehensive longitudinal genomic analysis on approximately 2000 Sydney wastewater Escherichia coli isolates collected at a WWTP over 2 years. The aim is to understand the diversity of E. coli populations using phylogenomics and identify lineages carrying antimicrobial resistance and, virulence. The research seeks to enhance understanding of how E. coli communities are impacted throughout the wastewater treatment train and if different operating conditions influence the communitites. The sampling strategy is designed to capture a broad spectrum of E. coli. The WWTP will be selected based on plant capacity and treatment processes. Short-read whole genome sequencing (WGS) will be used to determine genetic compositions of wastewater isolates. Isolates representing important lineages will undergo long-read sequencing for in-depth analysis. The outcomes of the program will provide an understanding of the phylogenomic diversity of E. coli in the raw sewage coming into the identified WWTP, at key treatment stages  and in the effluent from the WWTP. In addition, the program will: i) identify and characterise resistance and virulence genes and their mode of transmission; ii) use phylogenetics to assess genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships; iii) perform statistical analyses to establish correlations between the presence of resistance and virulence determinants and specific treatment stages or conditions (e.g., rain events, seasonal variations) and iv) garner insights into the E. coli mobilome.

Eligibility

Applicants must be a domestic student (either permanent Australian residents or New Zealand citizens). To be eligible for this application, applicants must have completed a UTS recognised degree in

• MSc Research or MSc Coursework with a research thesis of at least 6 months,

• or Bachelor Honours degree with 1st Class, or 2nd Class Division 1, or division 1 honours, or an equivalent or higher qualification,

• or submitted other evidence of general and professional qualifications that demonstrates potential to pursue graduate research studies.

Selection process

Essential criteria:

–       Bachelors degree in the biological sciences.

Desirable:

–       Students with Honours (class 1).

–       Experience with R & Python languages

–       Experience performing WGS analyses as part of their Honours program or during employment.

Required

Applicants should send their CV and list of publications to contact person’s email address by the closing date.The application process is currently open and will continue to be open until all positions have been filled. We highly encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible. Shortlisted candidates will be advised with further details.

For further Information on application essentials please visit UTS Graduate Research applications.

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For more information, visit UTS Science Faculty Research Projects or search in UTS Scholarship search tool to find out what you may be eligible for.