Pasteur- Oxford joint PhD
with The University of Oxford
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is dramatically increasing worldwide, becoming one of the most urgent global public health and development threats. According to the World Health Organisation, in 2019 it is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths and contributed to a further 4.95 million deaths globally. AMR affects countries in all regions and at all income levels and puts many of the gains of modern medicine at risk. If we don’t find ways to combat AMR, everyday procedures like having a filling or giving birth could become life- threatening. In addition to death and disability, AMR also has a significant economic cost. The World Bank estimates that AMR could result in US$ 1 trillion additional healthcare costs by 2050, and US$ 1 trillion to US$ 3.4 trillion GDP losses per year by 2030.
There is a pressing need to reverse the spread of resistant pathogens and to develop innovative drugs (antibiotics, anti-parasites, antifungals, antivirus) and therapeutic strategies as sustainable treatments of infectious diseases.
Dr Paola B. Arimondo
CNRS Director of Research, Head of the Epigenetics Biological Chemistry Unit
Institut Pasteur
“The Pasteur-Oxford PhD program allies the excellence in biology of infection and the mechanisms of AMR of the Institut Pasteur with the strength in drug discovery of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Oxford to foster collaborative interdisciplinary projects aiming at the discovery of innovative therapeutic strategies against AMR.”
Tackling AMR together
The Institut Pasteur is an internationally renowned centre of excellence for biomedical research, supporting projects to better understand effective treatment and prevention of disease and why resistance to current treatments occurs. 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 through the development of new drugs and treatments. 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
The Pasteur- Oxford joint PhD provides doctoral candidates with the opportunity to tackle collaborative projects between the Institut Pasteur and the University of Oxford Chemistry Department to fight AMR. The PhD gives students the opportunity to work with scientists at the Institut Pasteur who specialise in biomedical research into how microbes are becoming resistant to antibiotics and researchers at The University of Oxford who focus on developing chemical inhibitors to antibiotic resistance. Students therefore learn to understand the biological processes at the Institut Pasteur, which will allow development of more efficient chemicals and drugs at The University of Oxford, which can in turn be tested and applied in the biological systems developed back at the Institut Pasteur. The dual 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.
Our PhD seeks to use this novel approach of interdisciplinary study to find answers to combatting AMR and train the next generation of leaders in this research field. Students of the Pasteur-Oxford joint PhD will graduate with an understanding of both the biological processes of AMR and insight into the development of chemical inhibitors to combat this resistance. We believe this level of focus on training is essential for making our global progress in this research field sustainable.
Professor Christopher Schofield
Professor of Chemistry - Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford
"Students of the Pasteur- Oxford PhD arrive in our chemistry labs with a deep and unique understanding of the biological processes of AMR which help us to identify new leads for the development of urgently needed chemical probes and drugs. Meanwhile, through the development of new chemical probes studied in our labs at Oxford, the students take back to Pasteur a further enriched understanding of the biological process leading to AMR, creating new leads for therapeutic agents against pathogens. It is a hugely worthwhile exchange that is mutually beneficial to both research teams."
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 with an average of two new students joining every year.
Pasteur Foundation – UK is actively seeking funding for this year's 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. The Pasteur- Oxford PhD is the Pasteur Foundation – UK's current fundraising priority for our PF-UK Impact Grant.
The total cost for one three- year PhD is £200,000.
This includes a three-year salary and social benefits, an annual travel grant for international scientific workshops and meetings, administrative support and housing assistance as well as comprehensive academic and professional skills training.
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.
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