PhD Studentship: From Defence to Antibiotic production: Uncovering New Roles for NLR Signalling in Multicellular Bacteria

Nucleotide-binding and oligomerisation domain-like receptors (NLRs) are famous for driving immune responses in plants and animals. However, their extensive presence in multicellular, antibiotic-producing Streptomyces hints at a much richer, untapped functional diversity. This PhD project aims to challenge the paradigm that bacterial NLRs solely function in phage defence, uncovering their broader roles in multicellular development, complex signalling networks, and the regulation of natural products.

By combining computational mining with hands-on experimental biology, you will explore the full spectrum of the Streptomyces ""NLRome"". You will deploy synthetic activation tools to trigger candidate NLRs, investigating how they control bacterial viability, phage immunity, morphological development, and antibiotic biosynthesis. Beyond fundamental biology, this project holds high-impact applied potential: synthetic activation of specific NLRs offers a novel route to switch on silent gene clusters and trigger the production of new bioactive molecules.

As a PhD researcher on this project, you will gain comprehensive, interdisciplinary training across: 

• Computational Biology & Bioinformatics: Large-scale genome mining, structural modelling (AlphaFold, Foldseek), and pipeline development.

• Molecular Microbiology & Genetics: Phenotyping, heterologous expression, phage assays, and genetic engineering of multicellular bacteria.

• Protein Biochemistry & Omics: Protein-protein interaction studies, catalytic assays, transcriptomics, and metabolomics.

Based at the John Innes Centre, you will join a supportive, highly collaborative research environment supported by world-class platform facilities and leading experts in plant and bacterial NLR biology.

You will also develop key professional skills through conference presentations, manuscript preparation, and public science outreach.

This project is ideal for a motivated student eager to blend computational analysis with experimental biology to redefine our understanding of ancient signalling proteins.

Informal enquiries to Prof Susan Schlimpert (susan.schlimpert@jic.ac.uk) are welcome.

Entry requirements

At least UK equivalence Bachelors (Honours) 2:1. English Language requirement (Faculty of Science equivalent: IELTS 6.5 overall, 6 in each category).

Mode of study

Full-time

Start date

1 October 2027

This project is awarded with a 4-year Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership PhD DTP studentship. The studentship includes payment of tuition fees (directly to the University), a stipend to cover living expenses (2026/27 stipend rate: £21,805, and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000pa for each year of the studentship.