How do cyanobacteria sense their predators?
Supervisor :
27th January 2027
Queen Mary University of London has partnered with the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to offer a joint scholarship programme to enable Chinese students to study for a PhD programme at Queen Mary. Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Applicants must:
- Be applying for CSC funding.
- Be a citizen and permanent resident of the People’s Republic of China and hold a Chinese passport.
- Satisfy all eligibility criteria set out by the CSC and must refer to the CSC website for full details.
- Apply to QMUL by 27th January 2027. Late applications will not be considered.
- Submit ALL required documentation, including evidence of their English Language ability ahead of the CSC application deadline.
CSC application rules differ slightly for domestic applicants (students applying from China) and overseas applicants (students applying from overseas). Therefore, ALL applicants are advised to see the CSC website for full details on eligibility and conditions on the scholarship.
Project Overview
Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes that transformed the biosphere through their ancient development of oxygenic photosynthesis. They still exert a huge influence on global ecosystems. Many single-celled planktonic cyanobacteria show a tendency to “flocculate”, meaning aggregation into clumps of many thousands of cells that is often accompanied by production of extracellular polysaccharide. The sinking and burial of such flocs is a major contributor to the biological carbon pump that removes CO2 from the atmosphere. We recently showed that exposure to a predatory heterotrophic bacterium (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) triggers dense flocculation in the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp PCC 6803, implying that flocculation acts a defence against predation by other bacteria (Mohandass et al (2026) ISME J. 20:wrag169). However, we don’t know how Synechocystis senses the presence of potential bacterial predators, or how specific this sensing might be. Sensing looks to be through direct contact rather than through detection of a secreted product, and it may involve surface detection by bacterial appendages known as Type IV pili (T4P). The goal of this project is to perform experiments to unravel the predator-sensing mechanism in Synechocystis. You will investigate which bacterial species trigger flocculation in Synechocystis, whether Synechocystis recognises a cell surface component that is common to these bacterial species, and the potential role of T4P in the recognition of such a surface component. Experimental approaches will include a standard assay for Synechocystis flocculation, quantitative fluorescence microscopy, biochemical isolation of bacterial cell surface components, and the generation and use of Synechocystis mutants with altered T4P function.
Research Environment
The Mullineaux group work on cell biology, photosynthesis, motility and behavioural interactions in cyanobacteria, using a combination of molecular genetics, biochemistry, spectroscopy and advanced fluorescence microscopy. Training in all these techniques will be available to the PhD student. Dr Johannes Keegstra recently joined the School, bringing expertise in the ecophysiology of aquatic bacteria, motility and microfluidic measurements that are all highly relevant to this project.
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences
Entry Requirements
We are looking for candidates to have or expecting to receive a first or upper-second class honours degree and a Master’s degree in an area relevant to the project such as Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or Microbiology.
Knowledge of microbiological techniques, molecular genetics and fluorescence microscopy would be highly advantageous but are not required.
You must meet the IELTS requirements for your course and upload evidence before CSC’s application deadline, ideally by 17th March 2027. You are therefore strongly advised to sit an approved English Language test as soon as possible, where your IELTS test must still be valid when you enrol for the programme.
Find out more about our entry requirements here.
How to Apply
Formal applications must be submitted through our online form by 27th January 2027 for consideration. Please identify yourself as a ‘CSC Scholar’ in the funding section of the application.
Applicants are required to submit the following documents:
- Your CV
- Personal Statement
- Evidence of English Language e.g.) IELTS Certificate
- Copies of academic transcripts and degree certificates
- References
Find out more about our application process on our SBBS website.
Informal enquiries about the project can be sent to Prof Conrad Mullineaux at c.mullineaux@qmul.ac.uk . Admissions-related queries can be sent to sbbs-phd-admissions@qmul.ac.uk .
Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a formal interview by the supervisor. If you are successful in your QMUL application, then you will be issued an QMUL Offer Letter, conditional on securing a CSC scholarship along with academic conditions still required to meet our entry requirements.
Once applicants have obtained their QMUL Offer Letter, they should then apply to CSC for the scholarship with the support of the supervisor.
For further information, please go to the QMUL China Scholarship Council webpage.
References
Mohandass SN, Collins ACZ, Conradi FD, Allsopp LP, Mullineaux CW (2026) Cyanobacterial flocculation as a defence against bacterial predation. ISME J. 20:wrag169
Doello S, Hammerl J, Forchhammer K, Hagemann M, Hess WR, Mullineaux CW, Wilde A (2026) From pond to platform: how Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 became the default model cyanobacterium. J. Bacteriol. 208:e00535-25
See Also