Associate Professor Ben Temperton

About the award

Supervisors

Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Katherine Helliwell

Secondary supervisors:

Associate Professor Ben Temperton

Dr Matthew Keys (Marine Biological Association)

Dr Glen Wheeler (Marine Biological Association)

The University of Exeter’s Department of Biosciences, in partnership with the Marine Biological Association (Plymouth, UK), is inviting applications for a PhD studentship funded by European Research Council to commence between February and September 2026, depending on the availability of the successful candidate/s. For eligible students the studentship will cover Home or International tuition fees plus an annual tax-free stipend of at least £20,780 for 3.5 years full-time, or pro rata for part-time study. The student would be based primarily at the Marine Biological Association, but will also spend time in Biosciences in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the Streatham Campus in Exeter for training and certain research activities.

This is a 3.5 year PhD studentship funded by the DIACDAL project, which is a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant (Grant Agreement no101170086) supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.

Around half of global CO2fixation occurs in the oceans by photosynthetic microbes (phytoplankton) that capture rising atmospheric CO2, and support marine food webs. While abiotic factors have long been studied, growing evidence shows thatbiotic interactions—especially antagonistic ones—play a crucial role in shaping marine microbial communities. However, these interactions that occur at the microscale are difficult to study in dynamic natural marine microbial communities, limiting our understanding of their ecological significance.

This fully funded PhD studentship offers an exciting opportunity to explore antagonistic interactions between key phytoplankton taxa and their bacterial pathogens using novel single-cell methodologies. Bridging laboratory model systems with phytoplankton blooms in the field this project will examine host specificity and ecological consequences of phytoplankton-bacteria interactions, via three interrelated work strands:

1. Single-cell infection dynamics: You will use advanced single-cell fluorometry to assess how antagonistic bacteria affect the health of individual phytoplankton cells in established lab cultures.
2. Mesocosm experiments: You will investigate the impacts of algicidal bacteria, and traits underlying pathogenicity, on the health of individual phytoplankton cells within natural marine microbial communities.
3. Single cell microbiome analysis at the community scale: You will characterise the composition and attributes of single-cell microbiomes of phytoplankton (e.g., diatoms) during natural blooms in the Western English Channel using cutting-edge imaging and meta-omics techniques.

This interdisciplinary project offers comprehensive training in microbial physiology, cell and molecular biology, advanced microscopy techniques, and bioinformatics. You will receive regular mentorship from the principal investigator and support from a collaborative supervisory team.

You will join a dynamic, inclusive research group that values trust, responsibility, and cooperation, working on diverse aspects of algal ecophysiology and microbial molecular biology. The successful candidate will have opportunities to present at national and international conferences, develop skills in manuscript preparation and grant writing, and engage in professional development activities. In addition, you will belong to the vibrant postgraduate research communities at the MBA and University of Exeter.

We are particularly interested in hearing from enthusiastic, curious and motivated individuals excited by microbial ecology, phytoplankton physiology, molecular biology and environmental microbiology research.

Entry requirements

Applicants for this studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of biological sciences, microbiology, marine biology or plant sciences.

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the English language requirements and provide proof of proficiency. Click here for more information.

How to apply

To apply, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button above. In the application process you will be asked to upload several documents

•CV

•Letter of application (outlining your academic interests, prior research experience and reasons for wishing to undertake the project).

•Transcript(s) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained (this should be an interim transcript if you are still studying)

•Names of two referees familiar with your academic work. You are not required to obtain references yourself. We will request references directly from your referees if you are shortlisted.

•If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country you will need to submit evidence of your proficiency in English.

The closing date for applications is midday (12 pm) on 29thOct 2025.Interviews will be held virtually / at the MBA (Plymouth) w/c 17thNovember 2025.

All application documents must be submitted in English. Certified translated copies of academic qualifications must also be provided.

Please quote reference 5657 on your application and in any correspondence about this studentship.