Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Microbial Genomics

Evaluating novel vaccines for use in animals to reduce antimicrobial resistance

About the role

The power of vaccines to prevent infectious disease has been very clearly demonstrated recently with the incredibly rapid development of novel vaccines to prevent COVID-19 disease. There is also evidence that bacteria and viruses targeted by vaccines can ‘escape’ the action of vaccines and continue to cause disease – we saw this with COVID-19 vaccines and it is an established phenomenon with pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. Innovative approaches are required if we are to maximise the benefits of vaccines and reduce the potential risks of escape or other negative impacts.

We have developed novel vaccines to prevent porcine infection with Streptococcus suis. This pathogen is a major cause of disease in pigs, leading to losses of over 10% and half of the antibiotics used in pig farming are to prevent S. suis disease. S. suis is also a zoonotic pathogen that has caused a number of severe disease outbreaks in humans. In an Innovate UK funded project, our consortium is evaluating the effectiveness of our novel vaccines and investigating their potential impact on the host microbiome.

In this exciting project, you will be responsible for analysis of samples collected during the vaccine evaluation trials, recovery of bacterial strains that may represent ‘escape variants’, generation of complete genome sequences from these strains and the detailed investigation of sequences to reveal changes that indicate selection for mutations in key vaccine antigen targets. You will also prepare DNA from a wide range of samples and conduct shotgun metagenome sequence and PCR amplicon profiling to investigate the impact of vaccine use on microbial populations. You will report data to the wider project team and the funder and lead the production of manuscripts and conference presentations describing the findings.

The position is a key element of the project that aims to deliver a safe, effective vaccine that can be used in pigs to improve husbandry and reduce the requirement for antibiotic use in farming in England. The findings will be important for validation of the approach we are taking to design and use of novel animal vaccines and will increase our understanding of the impact of vaccination on host microbiota. The potential impacts will include improved animal welfare, a reduction in the environmental drivers for AMR and a contribution to meeting CO2 reduction goals.

For this role, you will need to be on site 4 days a week. Although we can acommodate working from home for this role, flexibility to be on-site will be expected due to business needs.

For an informal discussion to find out more about the role then please contact Mathew Upton: by email at mathew.upton@plymouth.ac.uk

Application Process

Please apply online, demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the knowledge, qualifications, training, and experience elements of the job description in your supporting statement.

Following the closing date of the vacancy, you will be notified on the outcome of your application in due course.

Anticipated Interview Date:  Friday 4 April 2025

Closing date:  12 midnight, Wednesday 26 March 2025

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