We are looking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Assistant in the Department of Zoology, Oxford. This role is an opportunity to join a world leading research environment, specialising in social evolution in microbes. The aim of this ERC-funded project is to design a next-generation antimicrobial strategy. Our strategy is to exploit the invasive ability of social cheats to alter the genetic composition of bacterial cell populations, in a way that is clinically beneficial. This work will form the basis of further translational funding applications towards medical applications.

The project will involve:

1. assessing invasive abilities of strains of bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) defective in a range of social traits. And
2. genetically engineering strains of bacteria capable of driving medically beneficial alleles through a population of bacterial cells. This inter-disciplinary project would most suit a postdoc with molecular biology lab experience who also has a good grasp of social evolution in microbes.

The successful candidate:

• must hold a PhD at the interface of evolutionary biology and microbiology and possess sufficient specialist knowledge to make a contribution to established research programmes.
• Experience in microbiology and molecular biology is essential.