Microbiology

Our PhD/MPhil Microbiology programme enables you to undertake a research project that will improve understanding of Microbiology.

Microorganisms play pivotal roles in everyday life, from elemental cycling and the production of food to life-threatening infections of man and animals.

At Manchester, there are two main research topics - Molecular Bacteriology and Molecular Mycology.

Molecular Bacteriology is focused on studying bacterial pathogens of man and includes the following areas:

- the role of bacterial polysaccharides and glycoconjugates in disease;

- relationship between infection and gut flora;

- structural biology of cell surface proteins in bacterial pathogens including their interaction with the immune system and

implications for vaccine development;
- adaptation of intracellular bacterial pathogens to life inside the cell;

- development of novel approaches to combat antibiotic resistance;

- mechanisms used by bacterial pathogens to handle transition metals and their role in host-pathogen interactions;