The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Network “ENDAMR: Exploring Novel Drivers of Anti-Microbial Resistance” is recruiting 10 Doctoral Candidates (DCs). The doctoral candidates will be hired in one of the following institutions: European Molecular Biology Laboratory (2), Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (1), Umeå University (1), University of Tübingen(1), Uppsala University (1), Human Technopole (1), The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (1), Biological Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (1), and Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1).

Scientific background

Antibiotic resistance (AMR) is a major public health issue, with 5 million deaths in 2019 linked to AMR worldwide. These numbers are comparable to the toll of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Without new solutions, AMR is projected to soon become one of the leading causes of death in the EU. Addressing this challenge requires the development of new, effective antibiotics, but this alone is not sufficient due to the rapid evolution of bacteria. Understanding the drivers and mechanisms of AMR is vital to delay or reverse resistance in both existing and new antibiotics, especially since no new broad-spectrum antibiotics have been developed since the 1990s and their development is a lengthy process with high attrition rates. The ENDAMR doctoral network aims to better equip researchers in Europe to understand and develop new strategies to tackle AMR and prepare Doctoral Candidates for various career paths beyond academia, including teaching, science communication, and entrepreneurship. Doctoral Candidates will gain transferable skills and learn from industry role models, equipping them to make significant contributions to solving the AMR crisis.

About the network 

The ENDAMR network brings together 8 beneficiaries and 7 associated partners, located in 9 different countries (Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland) and one intergovernmental organisation (EMBL, the coordinator). The 10 Doctoral Candidates will enjoy a multi-disciplinary and international environment with plenty of training opportunities and exchange with all labs involved in the Network.

Details of the offered positions

• For more details on each position, refer to each position description below. For information on how to apply and filled positions, go to https://forms.gle/vhHZQi4SPYDrSQXm9.
• If you wish to apply to more than one position, please apply individually to each of them.

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**This position has been filled.**

DC1:  Discovering the Achilles heels of AMR opportunistic pathogens that find reservoir in the human gut

Host Institution: European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), DE

Supervisor: Dr. Nassos Typas

Project Duration: 36 months

Project Description: This project examines how different gut microbiomes affect antibiotic-resistant urinary tract bacteria (UPEC). Using competitive fitness tests, The Doctoral Candidate will identify which bacterial communities and nutrients reduce the fitness of resistant UPEC strains. This project aims to understand the molecular mechanisms behind these fitness costs and demonstrate how specific bacterial strains or molecules could prevent resistant UPEC colonization in different microbiome environments, including mouse models.

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DC2: Fitness effect of resistance mutations within microbiomes                                              

Host Institution: Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine (GIMM), PT

Supervisors:  Dr. Karina Xavier & Dr. Isabel Gordo

Project Duration: 36 months

Project Description: This project studies how antibiotic resistance affects E. coli fitness in the gut. The Doctoral Candidate will examine competition between resistant and non-resistant bacteria across different microbial environments, analyse how bacteria adapt to resistance costs over time, and investigate the role of bacterial communication (quorum sensing signalling) in these processes. The project aims to improve understanding of resistance dynamics and inform microbiome management strategies.

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DC3: Inducible resistance elements in microbiome species as a low fitness cost reservoir of AMR

Host Institution: Umeå University, SE

Supervisor: Dr. André Mateus

Project Duration: 36 months

Project Description: This project examines how gut bacteria activate resistance proteins in response to drugs. The Doctoral Candidate will identify which bacterial proteins become more active with drug exposure, investigate drug interactions and antagonisms, and assess how common these resistance mechanisms are across bacterial species. This project aims to map drug-resistance relationships and could improve treatments that protect beneficial gut bacteria while targeting pathogens.

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**This position has been filled.**

DC4: Tracing the evolution and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance through the analysis of HGT and bacterial strains

Host Institution: European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), DE

Supervisor:  Dr. Peer Bork

Project Duration: 36 months

Project Description: This project studies how antibiotic resistance genes spread through bacterial populations via vertical (parent to offspring) and horizontal (between strains) transfer. The Doctoral Candidate will track gene movement between species and environments, identify resistance reservoirs, and analyse co-evolutionary patterns. By mapping transfer timelines and spread patterns, the project aims to inform strategies against antibiotic resistance using evolutionary biology and computational analysis.

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DC5: Uncovering drivers of conjugation-mediated antibiotic resistance gene spread in Enterobacteriaceae

Host Institution: University of Tübingen, DE

Supervisors:  Dr. Ana Rita & Dr. Lisa Maier

Project Duration: 36 months

Project Description: This project examines how antibiotic resistance genes transfer between gut bacteria through plasmid conjugation. Using different culture environments and high-throughput screening, the Doctoral Candidate will identify factors affecting transfer rates and substances that influence conjugation. This project aims to understand how the broader microbiome affects gene transfer and validate findings in mouse models to help prevent resistance spread in humans and animals.

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DC6: Mechanisms and diagnostics of heteroresistance

Host Institution: Uppsala University, SE

Primary Supervisor: Dr. Dan I. Andersson

Project Duration: 36 months

Project Description: This project studies how bacterial subpopulations develop increased antibiotic resistance through gene variations and mutations. The Doctoral Candidate will examine how different pathogens achieve heteroresistance, investigate common resistance mechanisms across bacteria types, and develop diagnostic tests for clinical use. The project aims to understand bacterial adaptation and create practical tools for detecting heteroresistance.

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DC7: Mechanistic models of response to antibiotics in systems of interacting bacteria

Host Institution: Human Technopole, IT

Primary Supervisor:  Dr. Fernanda Pinheiro

Project Duration: 36 months.

Project Description: This project examines how bacterial communities interact and respond to antibiotics collectively. Using growth experiments and molecular analysis, the Doctoral Candidate will model how environmental changes affect microbial communities’ survival and resistance development. The project aims to improve treatment strategies by understanding bacterial behaviour in complex community settings rather than studying species in isolation.

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DC8: Collateral susceptibility effects of antineoplastic drug exposure on antibiotic resistance

Host Institution: The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway, NO

Primary Supervisor:  Dr. Pål Jarle Johnsen

Project Duration: 36 months

Project Description: This research project examines how cancer drugs affect bacterial evolution and antibiotic resistance. The Doctoral Candidate will study how bacteria respond genetically and phenotypically to antineoplastic drugs, identifying patterns of cross-resistance and sensitivity between cancer drugs and antibiotics. The project aims to find drug combinations that reduce treatment failure in cancer patients with infections by leveraging collateral sensitivity—cases where resistance to one drug makes bacteria more vulnerable to another.

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DC9: Drug combinations targeting beta-lactamase-resistant pathogens

Host Institution: Biological Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, HU

Primary Supervisor:  Dr. Viktória Lázár

Project Duration: 36 months

Project Description: This research project explores drug combinations that could reverse beta-lactam resistance in harmful gut bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella. The Doctoral Candidate will identify drug pairs that work against resistant pathogens while minimizing impact on beneficial gut bacteria. The project aims to develop sustainable treatment strategies that both fight current infections and reduce antibiotic resistance, potentially changing how we treat high-risk clinical infections. 

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DC10: Identifying drug combination for preventing the evolution of resistance

Host Institution: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, IL

Primary Supervisor: Dr. Nathalie Balaban

Project Duration: 36 months

Project Description: This research project develops tools and theories to evaluate how antibiotic combinations affect bacterial survival and resistance evolution. The Doctoral Candidate will create high-throughput methods to test drug combinations and predict how bacterial cell variations influence resistance development. Using measurements of bacterial recovery time and tolerance levels, they’ll identify factors that control resistance evolution speed. The project aims to create a framework for predicting resistance development under drug combinations, potentially improving clinical antibiotic use by tailoring treatments to specific bacterial strains.

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