The School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences at Queen Mary is one of the UK’s elite research centres, according to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF). We offer a multi-disciplinary research environment and have approximately 180 PhD students working on projects in the biological and psychological sciences. Our students have access to a variety of research facilities supported by experienced staff, as well as a range of student support services.
The Department of Biology has state-of-the-art facilities to carry out chemical, microbiological and molecular biology analyses. These include equipment such as gas chromatographers to measure methane, carbon dioxide and volatile sulfur compounds; ion chromatograph to measure sulfate and organic compounds; PCR and real-time PCR machines for DNA-based analysis; clean room for RNA studies; microscopy units and high-performance computing facilities for bioinformatics.
Our PhD students become part of Queen Mary’s Doctoral College which provides training and development opportunities, advice on funding, and financial support for research. Our students also have access to a Researcher Development Programme designed to help recognise and develop key skills and attributes needed to effectively manage research, and to prepare and plan for the next stages of their career.
You will be trained in analytical chemistry using gas and ion chromatographs; moecular biology techniques for DNA and RNA extraction, stable-isotope probing, PCR, sequence library preparation and related bioinformatics tools to analyse amplicon sequence data, metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. You will also be trained to do field work across the UK.
Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a highly abundant organic sulfur compound with billions tons of global production every year. Algae, phytoplankton and some plants produce it mainly as osmoprotectant in saline ecosystems, however bacteria were also shown to produce it in freshwater ecosystems. Microbial DMSP degradation leads to DMS formation, another significant organic sulfur compound with important roles in climate regulation. A wide variety of microbes were shown to degrade DMSP and DMS in aerobic environments.
In anaerobic sediments, DMS can be degraded by certain microorganisms producing methane and carbon dioxide, powerful greenhouse gases. However, we do not know who degrades DMSP in anaerobic settings. Peatlands are blue carbon ecosystems which sequester and store significant quantities of carbon. We recently showed that Scottish peatland sediments down to 1 m depth contain DMSP, which is partly degraded to DMS and likely to methane.
However, we know very little about the underlying microbial populations and metabolic pathways. In this project, you will identify microorganisms actively degrading DMSP and DMS in both aerobic and anaerobic parts of coastal and freshwater peatland sediments. You will also characterise their metabolic pathways and how environmental factors afffect these pathways so that we can better predict the global greenhouse gas budget under changing climate.
This studentship is open to students applying for China Scholarship Council funding. Queen Mary University of London has partnered with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to offer a joint scholarship programme to enable Chinese students to study for a PhD programme at Queen Mary. Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses for 4 years and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Applicants must be:- Chinese students with a strong academic background.- Students holding a PR Chinese passport.- Either be resident in China at the time of application or studying overseas.- Students with prior experience of studying overseas (including in the UK) are eligible to apply. Chinese QMUL graduates/Masters’ students are therefore eligible for the scheme.Please refer to the CSC website for full details on eligibility and conditions on the scholarship.
Applicants from outside of the UK are required to provide evidence of their English Language ability. Please see our English Language requirements page for details: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/international-students/englishlanguagerequirements/postgraduateresearch/
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Ozge Eyice at o.eyice@qmul.ac.uk
Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 31st January 2024 for consideration, including a CV, personal statement and qualifications. You must meet the IELTS/ English Language requirements for your course and submit all required documentation (including evidence of English Language) by 14th March 2024. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your application, then you will be issued an QMUL Offer Letter, conditional on securing a CSC scholarship along with academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements. Once applicants have obtained their QMUL Offer Letter, they should then apply to CSC for the scholarship by in March 2024 with the support of the supervisor.
Only applicants who are successful in their application to CSC can be issued an unconditional offer and enrol on our PhD programme. For further information, please go to: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/scholarships/items/china-scholarship-council-scholarships.html
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