Pasteur- Oxford joint PhD
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is dramatically increasing worldwide, becoming one of the most urgent public health threats. If we don’t find ways to combat AMR, everyday procedures like having a filling or giving birth could become life- threatening. There is a pressing need to reverse the spread of AMR pathogens and to develop innovative drugs (antibiotics, anti-parasites, antifungals, antivirus) and therapeutic strategies as sustainable treatments of infectious diseases.
The Institut Pasteur is an internationally renowned centre of excellence for biomedical research, supporting projects to treat and prevent disease, leading to therapeutic applications. The Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford is a world-leading chemistry department carrying out pioneering work, particularly in the field of chemistry for biology and medicine, with a focus on combating antibiotic resistance.
These two institutions are joining their forces and complementary expertise to develop cutting-edge projects at the interface of chemistry and biology to tackle the AMR challenge.
Aim and Impact
Students of this joint PhD programme tackle collaborative projects between the Institut Pasteur and the Oxford Chemistry Department to fight AMR. The PhD candidates spend time in the laboratories of both institutions, working with leading researchers in both fields. Students will learn to understand the biological processes at Institut Pasteur, which will allow development of more efficient chemicals and drugs at Oxford, which can in turn be tested and applied in the biological systems developed back at Pasteur.
The aim of the joint PhD is:
1. To develop new chemical probes to better understand the underlying biological process leading to antimicrobial resistance.
2. To identify new leads for the development of urgently needed therapeutic agents against pathogens.
PhD Selection Process
The selection process for candidates is organised following international advertisement of the programme. The call for applications opens in September for the class starting in October of the following year. Successful candidates will be part of the International Doctoral Program of the Institut Pasteur.
Students at the Institut Pasteur receive a three-year salary and social benefits, an annual travel grant for international scientific workshops and meetings, administrative support, and housing assistance (at Cité Internationale Universitaire in Paris and Maison Française in Oxford), as well as comprehensive academic and professional skills training.
Since the beginning of the programme, eight students have completed the Pasteur- Oxford PhD programme. In February 2024, the new student for October 2024 was announced and will be joining Institut Pasteur in Paris from Colombia.
Pasteur Foundation – UK has committed to funding the place of this newest Pasteur-Oxford PhD student.
Programme Directors
The programme is jointly led by representatives from the Institut Pasteur and the University of Oxford. These are:
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Paola B. Arimondo (Director of the Epigenetics Biological Chemistry Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS)
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Philippe Glaser (Director of the Ecology and Evolution of Antibiotics Resistance Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS)
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Monica Sala (Director of the Education Department, Institut Pasteur)
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Cecilia Patitucci (Dean of the Pasteur-Paris University International Doctoral Program – PPU)
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Christopher Schofield (Head of the Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Oxford)
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Gwendoline Denning (assistant of Prof Schofield University of Oxford)
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Pascal Marty (Director of the « Maison Française d’Oxford », CNRS/ Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs)
How can you help?
This important initiative depends on your generous philanthropic donations. Pasteur Foundation – UK has committed to funding the place of the newest Pasteur- Oxford PhD student who will be starting in October 2024.
The total cost of the three- year PhD is £153,000.
Every donation, whether regular or one- off, will take us tangibly closer to supporting this valuable research area and training the next generation of leaders in this research field, which is essential for making our progress sustainable.
Donors to the programme will receive benefits including tailor-made events around the new PhD in London, private visits of the AMR department of the Institut Pasteur in Paris and of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford, and regular communications on the progress of the scientific research conducted through this partnership.
We are also open to discussing the benefits of visibility, company events and other packages for corporate donors.
Contact
If you would like to learn more about Pasteur Foundation- UK, the joint Pasteur- Oxford PhD or any of our other projects, please do get in touch with our Head of Development, Sarah Bridge.