Research themes and projects

Our fully-funded PhD students are undertaking multidisciplinary projects under the four AMR research themes below.

‘The following themes have been identified by the Tackling AMR – A Cross Council Initiative to provide the interdisciplinary and collaborative approach necessary to address the challenge of AMR. The large and multi-institutional research consortia funded under the UKRI cross-council AMR initiative are participating in the Medical Research Foundation National PhD Programme in AMR research and are hosting our studentships.  

Theme 1: Understanding resistant bacteria in the context of the host

Projects within this theme explore resistant bacteria in the host context to help develop our understanding of resistance mechanisms, identify new targets for novel antibiotics and the development of new diagnostics.

Theme 2: Accelerating therapeutics and diagnostics development

Projects offered under this theme aim to refresh the antibiotic development pipeline, develop host defence-based therapeutics and rapid point of care diagnostics.

Theme 3: Understanding real-world interactions

Projects within this theme focus on surveillance of AMR in the environment, how resistant bacteria adapt to their environments and how the dynamics of community interactions affect resistance and transmission of resistant bacteria.

Theme 4: Behaviour within and beyond the healthcare setting

Projects offered under this theme aim to identify the socio- economic conditions and behavioural attitudes that drive the spread of resistant bacteria to help develop and evaluate policies and strategies to mitigate and manage AMR and the stewardship of antibiotics.