PhD Fellowship Opportunity in Microbiology
Combating Antibiotic Resistance in Phillippine Lakes: One Health upstream interventions to reduce the burden (ARPHILAKE)
Background
Lakes provide essential natural resources for populations in low-middle income countries (LMICs). A
growing concern has been contamination with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinants from animal
and human sources, especially those associated with beta-lactams and carbapenems that are the
cornerstone of human antimicrobial therapy used to treat infections (Boeckel et al., 2019; Gundran et
al., 2019). A growing literature supports that beta-lactam resistance in Asian lakes and rivers is
increasing (Sta Ana et al., 2021; Anh et al., 2021; Vital et al., 2018; Suzuki et al., 2020).
However, few interventions have been evaluated to see if environmental contamination from hospitals
and agriculture can be reduced (Giannakis et al., 2018; Barroga et al., 2020). This project aims to
develop interventions and evaluate their impact on AMR of isolates with human, animal and
environmental origin. Interventions include antimicrobial stewardship programs in hospitals and
backyard farms, campaigns to educate the public on AMR, improve management practices on farms and
cleaning of effluents feeding the lake (Hopman et al., 2019). AMR in human and veterinary settings and
lake water will be evaluated using conventional microbiology and molecular biology methods. The
conditions in and around Laguna Lake in the Philippines resemble those of many Asian, Latin American
and African countries, allowing project results to be generalizable to other LMICs and promote the UN
sustainable development goals worldwide. The One Health approach is essential to tackle AMR in the
human-animal-environment interface (Rüegg et al., 2017). Lower pollution loads will improve water
quality and lake resources, and reduce disease outbreaks, benefiting the Laguna lakeshore communities
of over 16 million people.
Requirements
Applicants should have a good primary degree in Veterinary Medicine, Animal Science or Microbiology
(First or 2.1 Honours) and M.Sc. in an appropriate discipline (e.g. Microbiology, Molecular Biology,
Bioinformatics, Veterinary Sciences, etc.). The successful candidate should be highly self-motivated and
be prepared to work in multidisciplinary and multicultural settings in Ireland and abroad. Experience
with whole genome sequencing and a full EU driving licence is also an advantage. Fluent spoken and
written English is required. Please see the following link with regard to English language requirements.
https://www.ucd.ie/registry/prospectivestudents/admissions/policiesandgeneralregulations/generalrequi
rements/minimumenglishlanguagerequirements/
Award
ARPHILAKE project is funded under the JPIAMR 13th call “One Health interventions to prevent or reduce
the development and transmission of AMR”.
The candidate will be primarily based at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin,
Ireland and working under the supervision of Dr Ana Vale and colleagues.
The Scholarship provides a stipend of €24,000 per annum which includes University fees of €6,000.
Funding is available for 3 years. Auxiliary funds will be available for the candidate to allocate toward
international travel and continued professional development.
Further Information/Applications
Dr Ana Vale, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
email: ana.vale@ucd.ie
Application Procedure
Submit an electronic copy of Curriculum Vitae and a letter of interest to:
Dr Ana Vale (ana.vale@ucd.ie)
Closing date
1st August 2022