Out of order: investigating genetic and environmental drivers of genome rearrangement (LANGRIDGE_Q26DTP)

Bacterial genomes undergo many changes at the nucleotide level but it is increasingly being recognised that macro changes in their genome structure also occur. In this project, the genetic and environmental factors driving genome rearrangement will be investigated in two strains of foodborne bacteria. The results will contribute to a deeper understanding of the rules of life and provide a foundation to better understand the impact that genome rearrangement has upon key phenotypes including biofilm formation and response to antibiotics in the food chain.

The student will receive training in both wet lab and computational aspects, equipping them with an excellent range of skills including long and short read sequencing, metabolic and biofilm phenotyping, transposon mutagenesis and sequence analysis. They will join the research group of Dr Gemma Langridge, who is a world-leader in the field of genome rearrangement, and receive additional supervision from Prof Mark Webber, an expert in biofilms.

Located on the Norwich Research Park, the Quadram Institute is a state of the art building with outstanding facilities. The student will join a diverse community of microbiologists, molecular biologists and informaticians, alongside a cohort of graduate researchers with exceptional training opportunities.

Informal enquiries can be sent to: gemma.langridge@quadram.ac.uk