SWBio DTP: “Determining impacts of exposure to environmentally relevant chemicals on tissue repair in fish”

This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP).

The SWBio DTP is funded by BBSRC and involves a partnership of world-renowned universities, research institutes and industry, based mainly across the South West and Wales. This partnership has established international, national and regional scientific networks, and widely recognised research excellence and facilities.

Studentships are available for entry in September 2025.

All SWBio DTP projects will follow a structured training programme to ensure you are well equipped as a bioscience researcher, supporting careers into academia, industry and beyond.

Supervisory Team:

Lead supervisor: Dr David Gurevich, University of Bath, Department of Life Sciences (email: dbg29@bath.ac.uk).

Co-supervisors: Prof. Charles Tyler, University of Exeter, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

Prof. Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern, University of Bath, Department of Chemistry

Prof. Andrew Johnson, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

The Project:

Background: The rivers of the UK and especially England are some of the most exposed to wastewater treated works (WWTW) effluents in Europe. As a consequence, resident fish are routinely exposed to an increasingly wide range of chemicals which can evade treatment processes, including various metals, organic compounds, pharmaceuticals (e.g. endocrine disruptors) and other chemicals (e.g. PFOAs). Reported impacts of these contaminant exposures on aquatic wildlife range from the feminisation of fish populations to increased infection risk. However, interactions between contaminant chemicals and other stressors on animal health, such as tissue damage, remain poorly understood. Fish in natural environments are subject to frequent and wide-ranging physical insults that result in skin lesions and tissue damage, such as infections, external parasites, spawning events and predator attacks. This proposal aims to ascertain how exposure to, and the mechanisms through which, chemical mixtures in WWTW exposure impair fish healing.

Methodology: In this project, the student will first identify what contaminants in WWTW accumulate in fish tissues, using cutting-edge chromatography and mass spectrometry methods complemented with histopathological analyses, assessing how these findings relate to tissue effects (liver/skin/muscle) of fish (roach, Rutilus rutilus, collected by the Johnson lab at UKCEH) that have been exposed to known levels of wastewater contamination. To identify the specific chemicals and combinations that are most biologically potent, the student will screen exposure conditions (WWTW effluent) and body tissues using chemical fractionation processes, identifying the chemicals using analytical chemistry approaches developed in the Kasprzyk-Hordern lab. To establish the impact of these chemical exposures on wound healing, the student will use state-ofthe-art confocal microscopy of live zebrafish (a cyprinid fish with many biological features similar to the roach), utilising a variety of fluorescent reporter lines marking key components of the repair response (immune cells, skin, oxidative stress reporters) available in the Gurevich/Tyler labs. These studies could include acute and chronic chemical exposures in individual fish and for effects over multiple generations, together with CRISPR genetic manipulation to interrogate mechanisms underlying healing impairment.

Personal Development: This interdisciplinary PhD project will provide the student with a wealth of training and expertise in cutting-edge analytical chemistry, ecotoxicology, environmental biology, cell and molecular biology. They will be supported by well-equipped laboratories across the partnering labs including supervisors with extensive track records in PhD training and development. The student will be encouraged to communicate their research through publishing articles and presenting at national and international conferences.

Applicant requirements:

Applicants should have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree (or international equivalent), in an appropriate area of science or technology. Applicants with a Lower Second Class degree will be considered if they also have Master’s degree or have significant relevant non-academic experience.

In addition, due to the strong mathematical component of the taught course in the first year and the quantitative emphasis in our projects, a minimum of a grade B in A-level Maths or an equivalent qualification/experience* is required.

* Physics A-level (grade B and above) or units in your degree with a significant mathematical component, e.g. maths, statistics, bioinformatics.

Applicants must ensure they highlight their Maths background within their application and to upload any supporting evidence.

Non-UK applicants must meet the SWBio DTP English language requirement by the application deadline.

Enquiries and Applications:

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to the lead supervisor.

Formal applications should be submitted on the University of Bath’s online application form for a PhD in Biosciences.

When completing the application form, please:

1.      In the Funding your studies section, select ‘SWBio DTP’ as the studentship for which you are applying.

2.      In the Your PhD project section, quote the project title of this project and the name of the lead supervisor in the appropriate boxes. 

3.      Should you wish to apply for more than one project at Bath (up to a maximum of two projects), you may do so within the same application but you should ensure you quote each project title (and intended supervisors) in order or preference in the appropriate boxes within the Your PhD project section and, IMPORTANTLY, you should upload a separate (clearly labelled) personal statement for each one, outlining your interest and suitability for that particular project.

See our website for more information about applying for a PhD at Bath.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

The aim of the SWBio DTP is to support students from a range of backgrounds and circumstances. Where needed, we will work with you to take into consideration reasonable project adaptations (for example to support caring responsibilities, disabilities, other significant personal circumstances) as well as flexible working and part-time study requests, to enable greater access to a PhD.  All our supervisors support us with this aim, so please feel comfortable in discussing further with the listed PhD project supervisor to see what is feasible. 

If you have circumstances that you feel we should be aware of that have affected your educational attainment, then please feel free to tell us about it in your application form. The best way to do this is a short paragraph at the end of your personal statement.