The Butler group at the Conway Institute, University College Dublin, is part of an international consortium that has sequenced and annotated 6 Candida genomes. Our main focus is on Candida parapsilosis, a yeast that causes disease in premature infants and immune compromised individuals. We have designed the first microarrays for use in this species, and we have identified regulators that are important for biofilm development and pathogenesis. The formation of biofilms (living mats) on indwelling medical devices is an important source of infection. We now propose to use state-of-the-art technology (including Illumina/Solexa sequencing for RNA-seq and ChIP-seq) to investigate the transcriptional networks involved. We will also exploit the significant genomic resources available to compare pathways within species.


There are vacancies for 2 PhD students; one will be predominantly lab-based, and is suitable for candidates with a background in genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology or a related discipline. The second position is in bioinformatics; suitable candidates should have a background or interest in analysing biological data. An MSc in Bioinformatics or a related field would be advantageous.