Characterising hydrocarbon degradation pathways for post oil spill monitoring using bacterial hydrocarbon biodegradation genes

(MCKEW_E24ARIES)

Characterising hydrocarbon degradation pathways for post oil spill monitoring using bacterial hydrocarbon biodegradation genes

(MCKEW_E24ARIES)

Project Description

Supervisors

Dr Boyd McKew, University of Essex – Contact me

Dr David Lea-Smith, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia

Professor Terry McGenity, University of Essex, School of Life Sciences

Dr Rob Holland, OSRL Oil Spill Response Ltd

Scientific Background

Oil spills are one of the most challenging threats to the marine environment with potential long-term impacts on fisheries, the economy and society. It is estimated that 1,400,000 million tonnes of oil enters the sea annually, where hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria play the main role in natural attenuation. There is a need to fully understand the many biodegradation pathways and genes involved in hydrocarbon biodegradation to assist in post spill monitoring of microbial communities and to develop tools that allow us to estimate microbial capacity to respond to hydrocarbon degradation, or, using gene expression analysis, to quantify the actual response.

Research Methodology & Training

You will use our newly developed genetic engineering toolset to characterise hydrocarbon degradation pathways in some of the most important and abundant hydrocarbon degraders including alkane-degrading Alcanivorax, Thalassolituus, Oleispira and PAH-degrading Cycloclasticus. You will receive interdisciplinary training in experimental design, statistics, R programming, environmental microbiology and genetics, molecular ecology, synthetic biology, heterologous protein expression, proteomics and hydrocarbon quantification by GC-MS/MS. There will also be numerous opportunities for marine and coastal fieldwork, surveying sites of past oil spills, assessing new oil spills that may occur over the course of the PhD, and training in the field on industry courses such as ‘Environmental Advisor’. You will be part of the vibrant ARIES cohort, the  Ecology and Environmental Microbiology Group at the University of Essex, and the Lea-Smith Lab at the University of East Anglia (UEA), and engage with a wide range of post-doctoral researchers, PhD students, OSRL and their many industry collaborators. There will also be training in research dissemination for participation at international science conferences and local outreach programs (e.g. Norwich Science Festival and The Pint of Science).

Person specification

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated student with a background in Microbiology, Marine Biology, Ecological Sciences or Biotechnology, who is keen to learn new skills to address a global environmental issue. The successful applicant will undertake studies at the University of Essex, with time spent at UEA, as part of a multi-disciplinary team with Boyd McKew, David Lea-Smith, Terry McGenity, and Rob Holland.

References

  • 1 Gregson, BH., Metodieva, G., Metodiev, MV., Golyshin, PN. and McKew, BA. (2020). Protein expression in the obligate hydrocarbon‐degrading psychrophile Oleispira antarctica RB‐8 during alkane degradation and cold tolerance. Environmental Microbiology. 22 (5), 1870-1883
  • 2 Gregson, BH., Metodieva, G., Metodiev, MV. and McKew, BA. (2019). Differential protein expression during growth on linear versus branched alkanes in the obligate marine hydrocarbon‐degrading bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2T. Environmental Microbiology. 21 (7), 2347-2359Gregson, BH., Metodieva, G., Metodiev, MV. and McKew, BA. (2019). Differential protein expression during growth on linear versus branched alkanes in the obligate marine hydrocarbon‐degrading bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2T. Environmental Microbiology. 21 (7), 2347-2359
  • 3 Gregson, BH., Metodieva, G., Metodiev, MV., Golyshin, PN. and McKew, BA. (2018). Differential Protein Expression During Growth on Medium Versus Long-Chain Alkanes in the Obligate Marine Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacterium Thalassolituus oleivorans MIL-1. Frontiers in Microbiology. 9, 3130.
  • 4 Thomas, GE., Cameron, TC., Campo, P., Clark, DR., Coulon, F., Gregson, BH., Hepburn, LJ., McGenity, TJ., Miliou, A., Whitby, C. and McKew, BA. (2020). Bacterial Community Legacy Effects Following the Agia Zoni II Oil-Spill, Greece. Frontiers in Microbiology. 11, 1706.
  • 5 Lea-Smith, D. J. et al. Contribution of cyanobacterial alkane production to the ocean hydrocarbon cycle. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112, 13591-13596, (2015).

Key Information

  • This project has been shortlisted for funding by the ARIES NERC DTP and will start on 1st October 2024. The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 10th January 2024.
  • Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a NERC studentship, which covers fees, stipend (£18,622 p.a. for 2023/24) and research funding. International applicants are eligible for fully-funded ARIES studentships including fees. Please note however that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK. We expect to award between 4 and 6 studentships to international candidates in 2024.
  • ARIES students benefit from bespoke graduate training and ARIES provides £2,500 to every student for access to external training, travel and conferences, on top of all Research Costs associated with the project. Excellent applicants from quantitative disciplines with limited experience in environmental sciences may be considered for an additional 3-month stipend to take advanced-level courses.
  • ARIES is committed to equality, diversity, widening participation and inclusion in all areas of its operation. We encourage enquiries and applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation and transgender status. Academic qualifications are considered alongside non-academic experience, and our recruitment process considers potential with the same weighting as past experience.
  • All ARIES studentships may be undertaken on a part-time or full-time basis, visa requirements notwithstanding.
  • For further information, please contact the supervisor. To apply for this Studentship follow the instructions at the bottom of the page or click the 'apply now' link.
  • ARIES is required by our funders to collect Equality and Diversity Information from all of our applicants. The information you provide will be used solely for monitoring and statistical purposes; it will remain confidential, and will be stored on the UEA sharepoint server. Data will not be shared with those involved in making decisions on the award of Studentships, and will have no influence on the success of your application. It will only be shared outside of this group in an anonymised and aggregated form. You will be ask to complete the form by the University to which you apply.
  • ARIES funding is subject to UKRI terms and conditions. Postgraduate Researchers are expected to live within reasonable distance of their host organisation for the duration of their studentship. See https://www.ukri.org/publications/terms-and-conditions-for-training-funding/ for more information

Applications Open

To apply please email a CV and cover letter to   ariesapp@essex.ac.uk