EASTBIO PhD: Mapping the Gut Microbiome of African Guinea Fowl
University of St Andrews · School of Psychology and Neuroscience
Scotland, United Kingdom
16 November 2026; no exact official cutoff time was verified.
About This Opportunity
This EASTBIO PhD maps the gut microbiome of African guinea fowl and tests how environmental and nutritional factors shape microbial resilience, host health and poultry performance.
The project investigates the gut microbiome of African guinea fowl, an understudied poultry species important to regional food systems. The researcher will examine how diet and environmental conditions shape microbial communities and how those changes relate to host health, behaviour and resilience. Training includes experimental design, animal welfare and health assessment, microbiome bioinformatics, host–microbe biology and statistical modelling. A field component in Burkina Faso adds sample collection and farmer engagement, linking laboratory and computational microbiome work with real production environments.
guinea fowl gut microbiome poultry Burkina Faso nutrition resilience
Level
PhD
Time Commitment
Full-time
Duration
Four years
Programme
EASTBIO BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership
Field
Mapping the Gut Microbiome of African Guinea Fowl
Specialization
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Organization Type
University
Funding & Compensation
Amount Scholarship
Funding Type Scholarship
Requirements
Education
Applicants must meet EASTBIO and University of St Andrews doctoral-entry requirements for a relevant discipline.
Experience
Technical Skills
Microbiome bioinformatics Animal health assessment Statistical modelling Field sampling Host-microbe analysis
General Skills
Independent research Interdisciplinary collaboration Scientific communication
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