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EASTBIO PhD: Modelling Imperfect Detection in Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance

Project 2116 · University of Aberdeen · School of Biological Sciences

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Save this opportunity and prepare around its actual requirements. Confirm deadlines and eligibility at the original source.

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Country or region
United Kingdom
Application deadline
2026-11-16 (confirm the exact time with the source)
Funding
EASTBIO four-year award; 2027/28 tax-free stipend est. £22,437. Successful international awardees get overseas-fee gap waiver; BBSRC network international cap 30% (not a project quota or individual odds). Visa/IHS excluded.

The research opportunity

EASTBIO PhD: Modelling Imperfect Detection in Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance

Research question

This four-year University of Aberdeen EASTBIO project asks how to distinguish true microbial carriage from non-detection in repeated clinical observations. Using longitudinal microbiology data from people with cystic fibrosis, the research will model how imperfect detection affects estimates of persistence, transmission and antimicrobial-resistance surveillance. It aims to improve interpretation of monitoring and diagnostic evidence, not to guide individual treatment.

Doctoral work and training

The student will develop Bayesian models of carriage and change over time, using multiple test results from the same clinical samples to examine the impact of imperfect detection. Training includes Bayesian hierarchical modelling, statistical simulation and causal reasoning, alongside bacteriology, antimicrobial-susceptibility testing and bacterial phylogenetics. Quantitative work uses R and Bayesian programming languages; no specific software or organism is named. Prior medical or laboratory experience is not required, and the advert does not quantify computational versus laboratory time.

Supervision spans complementary areas: Deon Roos leads statistical modelling and observation processes; Karolin Hijazi contributes antimicrobial-resistance and bacteriology expertise; Ijeoma Okoliegbe contributes NHS diagnostic microbiology. Confirm the formal registering school and the day-to-day division of supervision.

School and doctoral training

The University of Aberdeen project directory lists the School of Biological Sciences. Roos’s university profile and the application contact route point to the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition (SMMSN). These may reflect different academic and administrative roles; the formal registering school, programme code and applicable English requirement remain unconfirmed.

EASTBIO is a four-year, full-time doctoral training partnership. Years 1–2 focus on interdisciplinary and professional training, with years 3–4 focused on research. Standard EASTBIO guidance requires a 12-week non-academic PIPS placement outside the PhD project by the end of year 3; an eligible placement more than 50 miles away may receive up to £500 additional costs with approval. This project is not marked CASE. See the training overview and PIPS guidance.

Eligibility

  • A relevant UK 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent. Applicants with a 2:2 may be considered if they have, or expect, a Master’s Distinction or Commendation. UKRI doctoral-training eligibility also applies.
  • No medical or laboratory background is required; the project welcomes quantitative applicants willing to work across statistics and biology.
  • Part-time study is available only to Home/UK students. International students who need a visa must study full time and normally live within commuting distance.
  • The English-language band depends on the registering school. Biological Sciences’ Postgraduate Standard requires IELTS Academic 6.5 overall, 6.0 writing and 5.5 in each other component; SMMSN’s Postgraduate Higher requires 6.5 overall, 6.0 reading and writing, and 5.5 listening and speaking. Tests are normally valid for two years before entry. Confirm the applicable band with the host. Aberdeen English requirements.

Funding and timing

This is a competitive four-year EASTBIO studentship. The estimated tax-free UKRI stipend for 2027/28 is £22,437. Separate research/training budgets are £5,000 per year in years 1–3 and £1,500 in year 4, plus £230 per year for travel and conferences; these are not extra living stipend. UKRI/BBSRC caps international recruitment across the EASTBIO network at 30%, not at a fixed number for each project or as an individual admission probability. Successful international awardees receive an overseas-fee gap waiver. EASTBIO does not pay visa costs or the Immigration Health Surcharge; the 2027/28 stipend remains an estimate.

Current acceptance status is unconfirmed. The application and both references must arrive by 16 November 2026, 23:59 GMT. Entry is expected in October 2027.

Application

Contact the lead supervisor before applying and apply to only one EASTBIO project. Follow the application instructions and form page. Send one email to smmsn-pgrenquiries@abdn.ac.uk with subject “EASTBIO Application – [Your Name]”, including the completed EASTBIO form, university-level certificates/transcripts, and two official reference forms (one may be non-academic). References may be included with the application or sent directly by referees with subject “EASTBIO Reference – [Your Name]”; both must arrive by the same deadline. Complete the anonymous EDI survey and enter its unique response ID in the form. Project supervisors cannot be referees.

Do not attach a research proposal, extra CV, school certificates, conference papers or dissertations. Incomplete or over-supplemented applications will not be considered. Applicants must ensure references arrive; the university will not chase missing documents. Receipt confirmation may come after the deadline, and applicants are asked not to chase application status.

Contact and practical questions

The lead supervisor is Deon Roos (deon.roos4@abdn.ac.uk); Karolin Hijazi and Ijeoma Okoliegbe contribute the expertise described above. Confirm the current vacancy, registering school and English band, clinical-data access and approvals, supervision plan, award terms, international fee waiver, and any costs not covered by EASTBIO. The detailed Aberdeen housing, living-cost, visa and commuting analysis is in the research report.

Research and application brief

Report generated: . This date does not confirm that recruitment remains open.

Information updated: . Recheck the original notice before applying.

Show report contents

EASTBIO PhD: Modelling Imperfect Detection in Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance

Research Question and Applicant Fit

This Aberdeen EASTBIO doctorate asks how much apparent infection clearance reflects a missed detection rather than a real change in carriage. It is particularly relevant to quantitative applicants interested in Bayesian inference, observation processes and clinical microbiology; the advert explicitly requires no prior laboratory or medical background. Its strengths are a concrete longitudinal problem and an existing statistics–hospital research collaboration. China-based applicants can compete for international funding with an overseas-fee waiver if successful, but the 2027 stipend is estimated. The principal scientific unknown is whether the available repeated samples and tests can identify biological persistence separately from detection. The registration school and English band also need clarification. Applications and references close 16 November 2026, 23:59 GMT for October 2027 entry.

Research Problem and Doctoral Work

A negative test can mean absence or failure to observe an organism that remains present. Treatment can change both biological burden and the chance of detecting it. Consequently, treating every negative as clearance can distort persistence, acquisition and resistance-surveillance estimates. The project proposes importing the ecological distinction between a latent state and its observation process into human infection research.

Cystic fibrosis is the advertised setting because repeated microbiological samples, recurrent antibiotic exposure and fluctuating apparent colonisation provide longitudinal information. The student will build Bayesian models of carriage, changes over time and imperfect detection, supported by multiple laboratory assay results from the same clinical samples. The aim is to assess how accounting for detection changes interpretation of persistence, transmission and antimicrobial-resistance surveillance. The statistical account is not an individual diagnostic or treatment recommendation.

Training includes Bayesian hierarchical modelling, simulation and causal reasoning, alongside bacteriology, antimicrobial-susceptibility testing and bacterial phylogenetics. Quantitative work uses R and Bayesian programming languages; no particular Bayesian language is specified. Laboratory elements are training categories here, not assay instructions. The advert does not state that the student will be entirely computational, nor quantify hands-on laboratory time.

Possible research discussion points are identifiability, dependence between tests, treatment confounding, informative missingness and model calibration. Repeated negative results do not automatically provide independent information. Roos's teaching explains state/observation separation and closure assumptions in ecology, but that teaching example is not a validated clinical model. A credible doctoral plan will need to establish which assumptions survive irregular clinical sampling and changing infection states. Observation-process teaching.

The saved directory reached through EASTBIO's official 2027 application pathway contains this exact title; Aberdeen's gateway also uses an embedded directory. A standalone university-hosted advert was not independently located. This supports the advertised opportunity at the dated evidence point; present availability remains to be confirmed. EASTBIO application entry, Aberdeen gateway.

School, Programme and Field Context

The advertised university is Aberdeen, with School of Biological Sciences in the saved project directory. However, Roos's saved university staff profile lists School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, and offices at both the Old Aberdeen Zoology Building and Foresterhill Polwarth Building. Applications use a SMMSN office address. These may represent different academic and administrative roles; they do not prove that the advertised school is wrong. The formal registering school, programme/code and English band remain unconfirmed. NHS collaboration does not imply NHS employment or an additional degree. Roos official profile, broader Biological and Environmental Sciences doctoral area.

The official REF 2021 profiles show Aberdeen Biological Sciences at 18% four-star and 61% three-star, and Clinical Medicine at 15% four-star and 62% three-star. These are unit-level research profiles, not a world ranking or a judgement on this project. The specific value lies in connecting statistical observation models with hospital microbiology and longitudinal data. REF results.

EASTBIO provides a four-year full-time doctorate with core interdisciplinary/professional training concentrated in years 1–2 and research focus in years 3–4. The displayed 2026/27 calendar is not a final 2027 schedule. The standard placement guidance requires a 12-week non-academic PIPS internship before the end of year 3, outside the student's own PhD project. A request for up to £500 additional placement expenses is possible for placements over 50 miles away; eligibility and approval matter. This project is not advertised as CASE, so the separate 3–18-month CASE rule should not be imported. Registration milestones and 2027 local arrangements require confirmation. Training, PIPS.

WHO's 2025 global surveillance report analyses more than 23 million confirmed cases, with 104 countries reporting 2023 data and 110 contributing during 2016–2023. It emphasises adjusted estimates and data completeness. That supports the relevance of measurement-aware inference, but an individual project cannot eliminate all selection, access-to-testing and missing-data biases. WHO report.

Supervisors, Recent Papers and Resources

Deon Roos leads statistical modelling and observation processes; Karolin Hijazi contributes antimicrobial-resistance/bacteriology expertise; Ijeoma Okoliegbe contributes NHS diagnostic microbiology. Roos's university profile confirms statistical teaching, and his personal site describes Bayesian hierarchical, causal and simulation work, with prior statistical ecology employment at APHA. Contact: deon.roos4@abdn.ac.uk. Hijazi is a Professor/Clinical Chair associated with SMMSN Dental Education, illustrating the cross-school nature of the collaboration. Roos research site, Hijazi profile.

Roos's personal site lists four current doctoral supervisees starting in 2024–2026 across several universities. It does not identify all primary/co-supervision fractions or establish his capacity for 2027. Ask about daily statistical mentoring, joint meetings, responsibility for laboratory training and access to clinical collaborators. Existing papers show collaboration; they do not guarantee this project's data approvals, sample availability or compute allocation.

Three Recent Original Papers: Contributions and Evidence Limits

1. Universal versus targeted chlorhexidine and mupirocin decolonisation and clinical and molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus epidermidis bloodstream infections in patients in intensive care in Scotland, UK: a controlled time-series and longitudinal genotypic study.

Sara Sharaf; Timothy Lawes; Deon Roos; Ijeoma Okoliegbe; Susanth Alapati; Antonio Ribeiro; Istifanus Nkene; Daniele Ghezzi; Stuart J Reid; Victoria Austin; Dolapo Ayansina; Becky Wilson; Tanzeel Rehman; Benjamin J Parcell; Ian Mellor; Charis A Marwick; Marco Oggioni; Karolin Hijazi. The Lancet Microbe 6(8), article 101118 (2025). DOI 10.1016/j.lanmic.2025.101118. First online 11 June 2025; issue August 2025. Roos is third, Okoliegbe fourth and Hijazi eighteenth/last and corresponding, among 18 authors.

The two-ICU observational controlled time-series supports prior clinical/statistical collaboration, not validation of the proposed cystic-fibrosis detection model or individual treatment advice.

Reading scope: The 21 October notes document institutional access and a scientific summary without an explicit full-read record. On 22 October the institutional abstract, complete byline and bibliography plus indexed PubMed metadata were checked; no complete body/PDF reading is claimed. Institutional paper record.

2. Whole-body decolonisation policies and Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia rates in acute hospitals in England: a national cross-sectional survey.

Karolin Hijazi; Sara Sharaf; Susanth Alapati; Hadeel Abbood; Deon Roos; Claudia Trappetti; Marco R. Oggioni. Journal of Hospital Infection 176:11–15 (October 2026 according to indexed PubMed); DOI 10.1016/j.jhin.2026.07.010. First online 14 July 2026; the institutional record still describes advance publication and the indexed publisher cache a pre-proof. These are states of the same DOI, not additional studies; the issue day and current final publisher body remain unverified. Hijazi is first and corresponding, Roos fifth of 7 authors; Okoliegbe is not in the byline.

The 94-hospital national cross-section found no detected rate difference between policy groups. This does not establish individual causal equivalence or substitute for repeated within-patient information.

Reading scope: On 22 October the institutional abstract, 7-author byline and early-online citation were read; PubMed volume/pages were checked through its index; the final publisher body was not verified. No final full-body reading is claimed. Institutional paper record.

3. Genomic and growth fitness study of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli from bloodstream infections after introduction of a national 4C antimicrobial stewardship policy in Scotland.

Istifanus Nkene; Susanth Alapati; Antonio Ribeiro; Ijeoma Nnenna Okoliegbe; Sreedevi Poovathumkadavil Unnikrishnan; Corinne Ironside; Rebecca Wilson; Karolin Hijazi. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 64(6), article 107380 (December 2024). DOI 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2024.107380. The institutional early-online date 2 December 2024 conflicts with the PubMed-indexed article date 8 November 2024; the conflict remains unresolved. Okoliegbe is fourth and Hijazi eighth/last and corresponding among 8 authors; Roos is not an author. The institutional full-name variants Ijeoma Nnenna Okoliegbe, Sreedevi Poovathumkadavil Unnikrishnan and Rebecca Wilson differ from shorter indexed names or Becky Wilson; neither record is silently normalised into the other.

The 2010–2020 single-centre observational cohort illustrates changing population composition and correlated measurements. It does not directly estimate cystic-fibrosis imperfect detection.

Reading scope: On 22 October the institutional abstract, complete 8-author byline and bibliography plus indexed PubMed metadata were checked. No full scientific body, laboratory methods or raw-data reanalysis was performed. Institutional paper record.

These are three different original articles, not reviews or multiple online/issue versions counted separately. The existing 21 October notes substantiate access and scientific summaries; no matching full PDF or raw-body transcript is archived in this project. That archive gap cannot prove either a complete historical reading or its absence. The 22 October checks are bibliographic/abstract checks, not a complete scientific reread, data reproduction or exhaustive correction-notice audit.

The 2025/2024 papers identify NHS and university analytical collaborations, but the exact CF cohort size, organisms covered, sampling frequency, paired-test completeness, access date, privacy approvals and external validation material are unpublished. Those are feasibility conditions, not minor administrative details. A fallback plan should be agreed if data access is delayed.

Funding, Application and Living Cost

Eligibility and funding

The project advertises four-year competitive funding, estimated £22,437 for 2027/28, a research/training grant of £5,000 annually in years 1–3 and £1,500 in year 4, plus £230 annual travel/conference support. The latter are research budgets, not extra living stipend. The saved UKRI formal minimum is £21,805 from 1 October 2026; the 2027 amount requires confirmation. UKRI.

The saved 21 October EASTBIO FAQ confirms international eligibility and a 30% international intake cap, with overseas tuition top-up waived for successful international candidates. A China-based applicant who does not meet Home-status rules can compete; eligibility is not an award. Visa/IHS are excluded. Visa holders must study full-time and normally live within commuting distance; the project's part-time option is Home/UK only. Confirm fee coverage throughout the funded period, stipend increases and interruption/extension terms. Funding FAQ.

Application and timing

Contact the lead supervisor before applying. Apply to one EASTBIO project only. Submit one email to smmsn-pgrenquiries@abdn.ac.uk, subject “EASTBIO Application – [Your Name]”, containing the EASTBIO form, university-level certificates/transcripts and two official-form references; one reference may be non-academic. Referees may send directly using “EASTBIO Reference – [Your Name]”. Both references and the application must arrive by 16 November 2026, 23:59 GMT. Complete the anonymous EDI survey and copy its unique response id into the EASTBIO application form. References from this project's supervisors are not accepted. These additional rules appear in the saved official application-page record; later failed direct requests do not negate that record or establish a fresh policy check. The host-specific deadline applies to both references and the application. EASTBIO application guidance.

No proposal, extra CV, school certificates, conference papers or dissertations should be added. Incomplete or unnecessarily supplemented applications will not be considered; applicants must ensure references arrive because the university does not chase missing documents. Receipt confirmation may come after the deadline; do not chase status. The host-specific deadline takes priority over general FAQ flexibility.

The saved selection timeline gives 18 January supervisor nominations, 22 February interview invitations, interviews in the week of 8 March, and decisions in the week of 22 March 2027. The standard process normally nominates one candidate per project. Interview preparation should include a short account of previous research, its limitations and interest in interdisciplinary training. Nomination is not a scholarship offer. Selection.

Living costs

Official 2026/27 Aberdeen housing examples include Adam Smith House £111/week, Elphinstone Road £133 shared / £191 ensuite, and South House £147 shared / £191 ensuite, with selected 40–50-week leases. Wi-Fi is listed; room eligibility, utilities and full-year coverage require checking. These are not 2027 reservations. Housing fees, housing gateway.

Aberdeen's recommended rent-inclusive minimum is £1,171/month, or £14,052 over 12 months. The future estimated stipend and historical minimum do not establish an individual disposable balance or savings forecast. The benchmark follows UKVI minimum guidance rather than measured average spending. Do not count rent twice. Deposits, relocation, visa/IHS, inflation, clinical-site travel and PIPS costs require a separate budget and can change actual expenditure. Obtain 2027 quotes and preserve start-up liquidity. University budget guidance.

Applicant Requirements and English Conditions

Official requirements: relevant 2:1 or international equivalent; a 2:2 may be considered with achieved/expected Master's Distinction or Commendation. UKRI eligibility applies. No medical or laboratory background is required; willingness to cross statistics and biology is explicit. The project suits quantitative applicants who want substantive inference rather than a generic prediction leaderboard.

Useful preparation, not additional formal prerequisites: R analysis, probability, hierarchical modelling, reproducible code, sensitivity reasoning and communicating uncertainty. A simulation or model-checking example from previous work can demonstrate reasoning, but a research proposal is not required. Clinical laboratory methods are training components; no prior medical licence is specified.

The formal registering school matters for English. Aberdeen Postgraduate Standard, used by Biological Sciences, lists IELTS Academic 6.5 overall, writing 6.0, reading/listening/speaking 5.5. Postgraduate Higher, used by SMMSN, lists 6.5 overall, reading/writing 6.0, listening/speaking 5.5. Normally tests must be within two years before entry; approved exemptions/MOI routes exist. Given the school-role discrepancy, neither band is conclusively assigned to this project. English policy.

Career and Field Implications

Transferable routes include biostatistics, epidemiological methods, health-data research, statistical programming and broader quantitative analysis. NCS gives a broad data analyst-statistician range of £28,000 starter to £65,000 experienced, not a PhD outcome promise. RSS/GSS's 2026 professional vision stresses rigorous inference, communication and data stewardship alongside technology. UK government roles can impose nationality/residency restrictions: a Chinese graduate cannot assume that a UK doctorate opens every Civil Service route. This PhD also does not itself confer clinical-scientist registration. No exact-project graduate destinations were found. Career profile, RSS vision, GSS eligibility.

Next Actions and Questions to Verify

Before applying

Confirm the registering school/programme, applicable English band and Chinese degree equivalence with the host. Discuss current project availability and supervisory capacity with Roos. Prepare the single permitted EASTBIO application and both references for the exact GMT deadline.

At interview

Ask what repeated CF data, paired tests and treatment histories are already available, when approvals allow access, and which assumptions identify persistence separately from detection. Clarify the balance of coding and laboratory work, daily statistical supervision, clinical mentoring, compute/data security, simulation/validation expectations and fallback scope. Ask how model uncertainty will be communicated without implying patient-level diagnostic certainty.

Before accepting an offer

Obtain the actual 2027 award rate, full international fee waiver, four-year support and research-budget terms. Confirm registration/review milestones, PIPS timing/travel support, complete-year housing and visa/IHS costs. A useful immediate step is a focused discussion of data readiness and identifiability, alongside confirmation of the correct school and application route.

Evidence and Sources

Project and administrative evidence is dated 21 October 2026. Selected paper bibliography, reading evidence and saved application omissions were checked on 22 October; these checks do not establish a fresh verification of every official page or present vacancy. The editorial update reuses that evidence.

Project, school and programme

Supervisors and scientific evidence

Funding, costs and careers

Additional bibliographic references

Sources

The listing may come from a university or recruitment platform. Check the notice and official sources in the report for current application requirements. View the recruitment source

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