PhD Studentship: Comparative Analysis and Modelling of Cilia Motility in a Major Disease-causing Parasite - NERC GW4+ DTP PhD Studentship for September 2025 Entry Ref 5394

About the Partnership

This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the NERC Great Western Four+ Doctoral Training Partnership (GW4+ DTP).  The GW4+ DTP consists of the Great Western Four alliance of the University of Bath, University of Bristol, Cardiff University and the University of Exeter plus five Research Organisation partners: British Antarctic Survey, British Geological Survey, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology,  the Natural History Museum and Plymouth Marine Laboratory. The partnership aims to provide a broad training in earth and environmental sciences, designed to train tomorrow’s leaders in earth and environmental science. For further details about the programme please see nercgw4plus.ac.uk.

Project details

For information relating to the research project please contact the lead Supervisor via k.y.wan2@exeter.ac.uk

Project Aims and Methods

Schistosomiasis a devastating disease transmitted through parasites in contaminated lakes/rivers, which affects 200 million people and causes 200,000 deaths annually, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. The parasites have a complex life cycle. Once ejected from infected animals, schistosome eggs hatch to produce motile larvae called miracidia. The miracidia swim using cilia to locate and infect an intermediate snail host. Mature cercariae eventually leave the snails and go on to infect other mammals. 
 
Much is known about the parasite’s immunobiology, but little about the biophysical mechanisms of snail infection. This unique project seeks to understand the process by which miracidia larvae locate and infect snails. This will help us monitor strain virulence, uncover species-specific interactions, and predict how environmental changes, like global warming, might affect transmission of human schistosomiasis.  
 
Key research questions are:

1. how do miracidia swim and change direction (by controlling cilia dynamics and motility patterns)?  
2. what sets snail-parasite specificity?  
3. how does increasing temperature affect the larvae’s chemokinetic ability?  

We will perform comparative studies using distinct snail-parasite pairings (some species are only available from the Natural History Museum collection), integrating mathematical modelling, fluid mechanics, and data analysis with detailed behavioural experiments to address this key global health issue.  

Training

The DTP offers funding to undertake specialist training relating to the student’s specialist area of research. 

Useful links

Webpage: www.micromotility.com 

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