Wessex One Health BBSRC scholarship: Understanding transmission pathways of European Bat Lyssavirus 1 (rabies) to inform control strategies (2025)

What you get

PhD studentships cover four years of UK or International PhD fees and a tax free maintenance allowance (currently £19,237 in 2024-5) plus some research costs.

Type of award

PhD scholarship

PhD project

Understanding transmission pathways of European Bat Lyssavirus 1 (rabies) to inform control strategies

Theme(s): Detection, Prevention and Intervention; Understanding Disease Spread

Lead partner: University of Sussex 
Supervisor: Fiona Mathews, f.mathews@sussex.ac.uk

Joint partner: Animal and Plant Health Agency 
Supervisor: Daniel Horton, Dan.horton@apha.gov.uk

European Bat Lyssavirus I is a rabies virus found primarily in serotine bats. It is responsible for most bat rabies cases in continental Europe, and is highly pathogenic (fatal without vaccination) in humans. 

While historically absent from the UK, the virus was first identified in 2018 in Dorset. Whole genome sequencing points to a single introduction, probably from France (Golding et al. 2024).  More recently, cases have been confirmed in Somerset (c. 60km from the index case) and Devon (c. 110km from the index case, cases submitted by one of project supervisors). It is not yet known whether these recent cases share the same origin as those in Dorset. 

There is a pressing need to understand the future spread of rabies virus in serotine bats and to develop strategies, potentially including bat vaccination, to minimise the risk of disease transmission. Serotine bats usually roost in houses or churches, and all the cases identified were recovered by members of the public. The risk of direct viral transmission, as well as indirect transmission via domestic cats, is therefore very high. Climate change is also likely to exacerbate exposure risks as serotine bats are predicted to spread northwards (Filas et al. In prep); and cross-channel movements between France and Britain may also become more common.  
This PhD will provide vital evidence on the ecology and population dynamics of serotine bats; apply advanced radiotracking and geographical analyses; and conduct phylogenetic and epidemiological analysis, to identify key risks for human transmission and explore alternative management strategies. 

The project will benefit from an experienced and supportive supervisory team with expertise in ecology (Mathews), epidemiology (Nouvellet) and virology (Horton), and provide an exciting opportunity to work at the interface of academic environment and a government agency. 

Eligibility

Who we are looking for

You will have the ambition, motivation and scientific curiosity to research new approaches to combatting infectious diseases in the themes of:

• Detection, prevention and intervention
• Microbial evolution and drug resistance
• Understanding disease spread
• Infection and cellular biology. 

You will have or expect to have an MSc, and/or a first or upper second honours degree in a relevant subject. We welcome applications from graduates of all universities, and from candidates already in work, or returning after a career break.

Note: Lab experience is desirable but not essential as all successful applicants will be trained in basic lab skills where applicable.

The Scholarships are open to both UK and International applicants but 70% of each cohort of students must be UK and some of the host laboratories have further nationality or residency requirements for their researchers, so bear this in mind when selecting your four project preferences.

In order to be eligible to apply for the necessary security clearance, applicants for projects with Dstl must be a UK national, currently resident in the UK, and have resided in the UK continuously for the past five year. Applicants for projects including laboratory work at APHA, UKHSA or Pirbright Institute must be currently resident in the UK and have at least three years continuous UK residency. Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) clearance is required prior to commencing work at all the above laboratories. Candidates need to ensure that they are eligible for security clearance. It is up to each person applying for a studentship to ensure they meet the residency criteria. Please contact the supervisor if you have any questions. 

Number of scholarships available

One for this project but 17 PhD studentships are available for October 2025 across the programme. 

Deadline

How to apply

Please apply by submitting an application form and completing our EDI survey.

Prospective students are asked to select up to four projects from those available and if invited for interview are strongly encouraged to contact prospective supervisors ahead of interview. 

• Submission deadline: Midnight, Friday 28 February 2025
• Shortlisting: by 10 March 2025
• Interviews: Online, week beginning 24th March 2025.

Contact us

For Sussex-specific enquiries contact pgr-scholarships@sussex.ac.uk

For information on our Sussesx projects contact our supervisor: Prof Fiona Mathews F.Mathews@sussex.ac.uk; 

For further information on the programme or application process, email WOH@surrey.ac.uk. 

Timetable

The timetable is as follows:

Deadline for online application:               February 28th 2025 - 23:59

Invitation to interview:                              By 10th March 2025

Interviews Online:                                    w/c March 24th 2025