Decision-making is an essential hallmark of life. At the cellular level, decision-making is controlled by gene expression that regulates the conversion of genetic information into a phenotypic output. It allows cells to determine their fate and shape their surroundings. Gene expression is surprisingly variable even between genetically identical cells and can lead to divergent behaviour of individuals within a cell population. This is particularly relevant for the survival of bacteria which are constantly exposed to fluctuating environments. Cell-to-cell variability may increase overall population fitness by enabling specialisation and division of labour to improve efficiency as well as bet-hedging by spreading the risk among individuals of being unprepared for sudden environmental change.
This interdisciplinary PhD combines molecular biology, cell biology, and genetics with state-of-the-art biochemical imaging and advanced data analysis to reveal the biomolecular phenotypes of single cells within complex bacterial populations under a variety of growth conditions. The aim is to explore the mechanisms, causes, and consequences of individual bacterial cells engaging in divergent behaviour rather than aligning themselves with the rest of the group. The project will provide a new context in which to understand the fundamental biological processes that shape the life cycle of bacterial cells and enable us to better predict the cellular dynamics within microbiomes. This knowledge will be essential when tackling the challenges associated with bacteria, may they be societal (food security), commercial (pharmaceutical production) or clinical (antimicrobial resistance).
Research in the Engl lab combines advanced molecular and cell biology with state-of-the-art imaging techniques to gain a mechanistic understanding of the physiological processes that enable bacteria to survive and thrive in their ecological niches.
Find out more about the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences on our website.
We are looking for candidates to have or expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree and a Master’s degree in an area relevant to the project such as Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology.
Knowledge of techniques to study bacterial cell physiology, gene regulation, and/or biomolecular imaging would be highly advantageous but are not required.
You must meet the IELTS requirements for your course and upload evidence before CSC’s application deadline, ideally by 1st March 2025. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible, where your IELTS test must still be valid when you enrol for the programme.
Please find further details on our English Language requirements page.
Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 29th January 2025 for consideration. Please identify yourself as a ‘CSC Scholar’ in the funding section of the application.
Applicants are required to submit the following documents:
Find out more about our application process on our SBBS website.
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Dr Christoph Engl AT c.engl@qmul.ac.uk Admissions-related queries can be sent to sbbs-pgadmissions@qmul.ac.uk
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your QMUL 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 with the support of the supervisor.
For further information, please go to the QMUL China Scholarship Council webpage.
Apply Online