PhD Studentship: Chemistry to Defend Crops: Using Chemical Biology to Disrupt Protein-protein Interactions Pathogens Use to Invade Plants

Primary Supervisor – Dr Andrew Beekman

With the human population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, the looming challenge of feeding the rapidly growing population is threatened by plant pathogens, which cause significant losses in crop yield each year. Battling plant disease is essential for sustainable agriculture and global food security, and new avenues are required to address this challenge. Pathogens invade plant cells and hijack proteins that control protein synthesis, bending these processes to support pathogen growth.  

This project aims to target the protein-protein interactions that pathogens use to invade plant hosts. The project will design, synthesise, and test compounds which specifically prevent essential protein-protein interactions used by pathogens to cause disease on plant hosts. We will use an innovative platform, developed in our lab, to design peptides and small molecules that can disrupt the formation of protein complexes that facilitate disease. This chemical biology and plant biology project will be interdisciplinary, involving training in cutting-edge science including the computational design and peptide/small molecule synthesis, as well as evaluation of the compounds for binding to proteins and their disease inhibitory activity in plants.  

Led by Dr Andrew Beekman and Professor Wenbo Ma, there is an opportunity to learn medicinal chemistry/chemical biology, protein biochemistry, cellular biology, and plant biology, using facilities across the School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology and The Sainsbury Laboratory. The working environment is a highly collaborative research environment with a strong commitment to excellent in science and professional development. 

This project will develop a multidisciplinary scientist with expertise from chemical to cell biology. You will have, or expect to obtain a first class, 2(i) or equivalent Honours degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or a related area. 

Informal enquiries are welcomed: Dr Andrew Beekman (a.beekman@uea.ac.uk) or Professor Wenbo Ma (Wenbo.Ma@tsl.ac.uk).  

Funding Details

Additional Funding Information

This PhD project is in a competition for a Faculty of Science funded studentship. Funding is available to UK applicants and comprises ‘home’ tuition fees and an annual stipend of £19,237 (for a maximum 3 years)

Closing Date: 27 November 2024 (at 11.59 pm)

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