Tracking Antimicrobial resistance evolution and dissemination in human-impacted waterways

About the Project

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent global health challenge responsible for 1.27 million deaths in 2019. Freshwater ecosystems serve as reservoirs and hotspots for horizontal gene transfer, creating opportunities for the evolution of novel resistance determinants. This project aims to understand how AMR evolves, persists, and disperses in freshwater environments. You will study the temporal and spatial variation of antimicrobial resistant genes (ARGs) in urban and rural waterways using culture-dependent, culture-independent molecular biology and bioinformatic approaches to detect/quantify ARGs and mobile genetic elements in waterways. High-throughput sequencing approaches such as metagenomic sequencing will be used to study the microbial community structure, resistome diversity, and potential gene transfer events. The project will help us to understand how changing human activities shape AMR evolution in waterways and will contribute to environmental policy, improved monitoring frameworks, and strategies aimed at mitigating the spread of AMR through freshwater ecosystems. This project is part of the Connected Waters Leverhulme Doctoral Programme https://www.roehampton.ac.uk/connected-waters/

Supervisors: Tivkaa Amande and Anne Robertson

Funding: Full-time Masters PLUS full-time PhD scholarship in the School of Life & Health Sciences for one UK candidate, covering a maintenance grant matching the UKRI stipend (£23, 805 for 2026/27) and UK tuition fees for 5 years (1 year Masters + 4 years PhD). This opportunity is only available to applicants belonging to restricted groups see https://www.roehampton.ac.uk/connected-waters/how-to-apply/ for details

Project start: October 2026

Application deadline: 31st May 2026

How to apply: See instructions on https://www.roehampton.ac.uk/connected-waters/