Microbiology (Medical Sciences) (Research)

Microbiology is a well-funded research area at Newcastle University. This creates a vibrant and dynamic environment for postgraduate study.

The Centre of Bacterial Cell Biology researches bacteria cell biology and biochemistry. It provides scientific insights crucial for the discovery and development of new antibiotics. It provides solutions to a huge range of industrial and environmental problems. Other research interests include:

chromosome replication and segregation
transcription and translation
protein structure, function and engineering
cell envelope, growth and division
synthetic biology, development and gene regulation
bacterium-host interactions.

Your development
Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS) researcher development programme
Each faculty offers a researcher development programme for its postgraduate research students. We have designed your programme to help you:

perform better as a researcher
boost your career prospects
broaden your impact
Through workshops and activities, it will build your transferable skills and increase your confidence.

You’ll cover:

techniques for effective research
methods for better collaborative working
essential professional standards and requirements
Your programme is flexible. You can adapt it to meet your changing needs as you progress through your doctorate.

Find out more about the FMS researcher development programme

Doctoral training and partnerships
There are opportunities to undertake your PhD at Newcastle within a:

Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT)
Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP)
Being part of a CDT or DTP has many benefits:

they combine research expertise and training of a number of leading universities, academic schools and academics.
you’ll study alongside a cohort of other PhD students
they’re often interdisciplinary
your PhD will normally be funded
Find out more about doctoral training and partnerships.

If there are currently opportunities available in your subject area you’ll find them when you search for funding in the fees and funding section on this course.

The following centres/partnerships below may have PhD opportunities available in your subject area in the future:

Discovery Medicine North - MRC DiMeN Doctoral Training Partnership
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Molecular Sciences for Medicine (MoSMed)
Newcastle Liverpool Durham BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership.

Facilities
We develop our research with a range of facilities. This allows us to explore a broad range of research. We explore many topics, from nanotechnology to whole-cell function. Specialist facilities include:

TIRF and SIM-TIRF microscopy
systems for 4-D real-time fluorescence imaging with focal locking systems
flow cytometry with cell sorting
x-ray crystallography
a microbiology containment level 3 suite
Other equipment includes:

high-performance liquid chromatography
stop-flow UV-VIS fluorescence spectroscopy
facilities for electron microscopy, DNA sequencing, microarray analyses and proteomics
We have a suite of licenced controlled environment rooms. We use these for growing transgenic plants and for housing quarantine invertebrate pests.