Wessex One Health BBSRC scholarship: Deciphering mutational pressures in bacterial and viral pathogens using mutation signatures

This PhD studentship is offered as part of the Wessex One Health doctoral programme funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC). The programme trains postgraduate researchers in interdisciplinary approaches to Infection Biosciences across all classes of pathogens, to combat existing and future disease threats to human and animal health, including emerging infections, vector-borne diseases, antimicrobial resistance and food insecurity. This specific project focuses on analysing mutational signatures in viral and bacterial pathogens to investigate the underlying causes of mutation patterns. The research will explore how mutational patterns vary across pathogens that infect different hosts, particularly investigating host-driven processes such as APOBEC-mediated deamination. By comparing mutation profiles across RNA and DNA viruses from livestock and birds, including those with zoonotic potential, the project will assess how nucleotide changes are linked to host switching and pathogen adaptation. These insights can improve understanding of pathogen evolution and help inform risk assessments for future outbreaks and pandemics. Students will receive training in bioinformatics, molecular biology, genome analysis, and phylogenetics, developing skills in data interpretation, scientific communication, and critical analysis while contributing to a novel and growing area of pathogen genomics.