Abigail Roberts
@abigailroberts.bsky.social
PDRA in the Hobbs, Bullough, and Fagan labs at the University of Sheffield investigating bacterial spores with AFM | PhD Biochemistry and Biophysics (Richter lab at University of Leeds) | she/her
ORCID - 0000-0001-6580-7049
ORCID - 0000-0001-6580-7049
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
📣 Fully funded PhD opportunity - CryoEM, Phage Biology & Structural Mechanisms
University of Sheffield, UK | Start Oct 2026
We’re looking for a motivated student to uncover how bacteriophage proteins shut down drug-resistant Enterococcus bacteria.
University of Sheffield, UK | Start Oct 2026
We’re looking for a motivated student to uncover how bacteriophage proteins shut down drug-resistant Enterococcus bacteria.
YBDTP – BBSRC Yorkshire Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership
yorkshirebiosciencedtp.ac.uk
November 21, 2025 at 9:34 AM
📣 Fully funded PhD opportunity - CryoEM, Phage Biology & Structural Mechanisms
University of Sheffield, UK | Start Oct 2026
We’re looking for a motivated student to uncover how bacteriophage proteins shut down drug-resistant Enterococcus bacteria.
University of Sheffield, UK | Start Oct 2026
We’re looking for a motivated student to uncover how bacteriophage proteins shut down drug-resistant Enterococcus bacteria.
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
🚨 Fully funded PhD studentships 🚨
We have three fully funded PhD studentships available for Oct 26 start. Funded by the MRC DiMeN programme & the BBSRC Yorkshire Biosciences DTP. Details below as they are advertised. Contact me here or via email for more details or to discuss an application
We have three fully funded PhD studentships available for Oct 26 start. Funded by the MRC DiMeN programme & the BBSRC Yorkshire Biosciences DTP. Details below as they are advertised. Contact me here or via email for more details or to discuss an application
Clostridial Cell Biology Group
We are the Clostridial Cell Biology Group at the University of Sheffield. We study all aspects of cell biology, including the architecture and biogenesis of surface structures on both vegetative cells...
sites.google.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:44 PM
🚨 Fully funded PhD studentships 🚨
We have three fully funded PhD studentships available for Oct 26 start. Funded by the MRC DiMeN programme & the BBSRC Yorkshire Biosciences DTP. Details below as they are advertised. Contact me here or via email for more details or to discuss an application
We have three fully funded PhD studentships available for Oct 26 start. Funded by the MRC DiMeN programme & the BBSRC Yorkshire Biosciences DTP. Details below as they are advertised. Contact me here or via email for more details or to discuss an application
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
I am excited to announce two PhD opportunities! Come and join our interdisciplinary team in Sheffield, UK.
- Destroying forever chemicals with microbes and cold plasma: tinyurl.com/mth8ymx5
- Learning how motile bacteria make decisions: tinyurl.com/2hmc9a8u
UK and overseas students welcome to apply!
- Destroying forever chemicals with microbes and cold plasma: tinyurl.com/mth8ymx5
- Learning how motile bacteria make decisions: tinyurl.com/2hmc9a8u
UK and overseas students welcome to apply!
ECOSOLUTIONS DFA - Harnessing microbes and cold plasma to concentrate and destroy ‘forever chemicals’ in food associated ecosystems at University of Sheffield on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - ECOSOLUTIONS DFA - Harnessing microbes and cold plasma to concentrate and destroy ‘forever chemicals’ in food associated ecosystems at University of Sheffield, listed on Find...
tinyurl.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:53 AM
I am excited to announce two PhD opportunities! Come and join our interdisciplinary team in Sheffield, UK.
- Destroying forever chemicals with microbes and cold plasma: tinyurl.com/mth8ymx5
- Learning how motile bacteria make decisions: tinyurl.com/2hmc9a8u
UK and overseas students welcome to apply!
- Destroying forever chemicals with microbes and cold plasma: tinyurl.com/mth8ymx5
- Learning how motile bacteria make decisions: tinyurl.com/2hmc9a8u
UK and overseas students welcome to apply!
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending ClostPath 2025 at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. Alongside, presenting my poster, I also had the opportunity of co-chairing the session on spores with Professor Adriano Henriques. What a fantastic world of clostridia and their spores!
September 29, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending ClostPath 2025 at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. Alongside, presenting my poster, I also had the opportunity of co-chairing the session on spores with Professor Adriano Henriques. What a fantastic world of clostridia and their spores!
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
New preprint from us! The latest part of our C. difficile vancomycin resistance story. We identified a new two-component system (VnrRS) that can control expression of the vanG pathway - just needs one amino acid change
@buddlejess.bsky.social @brockhurstlab.bsky.social @claireyt.bsky.social
@buddlejess.bsky.social @brockhurstlab.bsky.social @claireyt.bsky.social
A novel two-component system controls vancomycin resistance in epidemic Clostridioides difficile
The glycopeptide antibiotic vancomycin is the frontline treatment for C. difficile infection in the UK. There have been only sporadic reports of resistance in the clinic but testing is rare so the tru...
www.biorxiv.org
August 22, 2025 at 9:39 AM
New preprint from us! The latest part of our C. difficile vancomycin resistance story. We identified a new two-component system (VnrRS) that can control expression of the vanG pathway - just needs one amino acid change
@buddlejess.bsky.social @brockhurstlab.bsky.social @claireyt.bsky.social
@buddlejess.bsky.social @brockhurstlab.bsky.social @claireyt.bsky.social
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
Many spores from the Firmicutes group are decorated with hair-like structures. Since the 60s, they remained a mystery. @remaut-lab.bsky.social named these fibres ENdospore Appendages (ENAs). Using Cryo-ID, we report the identity, structure and function of F-ENA.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Cryo-EM identifies F-ENA of Bacillus thuringiensis as a widespread family of endospore appendages across Firmicutes - Nature Communications
B. thuringiensis spores contain uncharacterized protein filaments that extend from the surface of the exosporium. Here, the authors show that these filaments feature conserved β-barrel neck domains an...
www.nature.com
August 17, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Many spores from the Firmicutes group are decorated with hair-like structures. Since the 60s, they remained a mystery. @remaut-lab.bsky.social named these fibres ENdospore Appendages (ENAs). Using Cryo-ID, we report the identity, structure and function of F-ENA.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
Back in April, I delivered my first oral presentation at the European Spores Conference! It was loads of fun and I learned so much about spore biology. Since then, I’ve been busy writing my thesis, titled “Insights into clostridial germination and twitching motility using live cell imaging.”
August 13, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Back in April, I delivered my first oral presentation at the European Spores Conference! It was loads of fun and I learned so much about spore biology. Since then, I’ve been busy writing my thesis, titled “Insights into clostridial germination and twitching motility using live cell imaging.”
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
It was fun to have contributed to this nice work from @crodrigueslab.bsky.social
It was fun to have contributed to this nice work from @crodrigueslab.bsky.social
SpoIIIL is a forespore factor required for efficient cell-cell signalling during Bacillus subtilis sporulation
Author summary Bacterial endospores allow bacteria to survive stress, persist in the environment and seed new and recurring infections. Cell-cell signalling is a cornerstone of how bacteria develop in...
journals.plos.org
July 4, 2025 at 8:00 AM
journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
It was fun to have contributed to this nice work from @crodrigueslab.bsky.social
It was fun to have contributed to this nice work from @crodrigueslab.bsky.social
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
❗️Calling ECRs❗️We would love to hear what career support you would like us to provide. Please fill out the small survey below to let us know your thoughts ! Deadline : 29th August
@royalmicrosoc.bsky.social
forms.office.com/e/bKDQcZBQdr
@royalmicrosoc.bsky.social
forms.office.com/e/bKDQcZBQdr
Microsoft Forms
forms.office.com
July 3, 2025 at 10:17 AM
❗️Calling ECRs❗️We would love to hear what career support you would like us to provide. Please fill out the small survey below to let us know your thoughts ! Deadline : 29th August
@royalmicrosoc.bsky.social
forms.office.com/e/bKDQcZBQdr
@royalmicrosoc.bsky.social
forms.office.com/e/bKDQcZBQdr
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
It was a pleasure to write this piece on HPV immunisation as part of our #CelebrateVaccines series 💙 Now more than ever, it is critical that we share evidence based resources on vaccination to help people make informed decisions about their health 🦠💉🌍
Cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer in women: bit.ly/4gDCdk5.
Thanks to the HPV vaccine, that’s changing.
Find out how it has transformed cervical cancer prevention in the first blog of our #CelebrateVaccines series: bit.ly/4hXQSXF
Thanks to the HPV vaccine, that’s changing.
Find out how it has transformed cervical cancer prevention in the first blog of our #CelebrateVaccines series: bit.ly/4hXQSXF
April 2, 2025 at 1:19 PM
It was a pleasure to write this piece on HPV immunisation as part of our #CelebrateVaccines series 💙 Now more than ever, it is critical that we share evidence based resources on vaccination to help people make informed decisions about their health 🦠💉🌍
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
📢 Calling PhD students 📢 we want to hear from you!
Help shape the future of PhD education. Take our survey to tell us all about your experiences
https://go.nature.com/43iJAsi
Help shape the future of PhD education. Take our survey to tell us all about your experiences
https://go.nature.com/43iJAsi
PhD students in STEM: Nature wants to hear from you
Buried in lab work or drowning in data? Take a break and help shape the future of PhD education.
go.nature.com
May 15, 2025 at 11:36 AM
📢 Calling PhD students 📢 we want to hear from you!
Help shape the future of PhD education. Take our survey to tell us all about your experiences
https://go.nature.com/43iJAsi
Help shape the future of PhD education. Take our survey to tell us all about your experiences
https://go.nature.com/43iJAsi
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
This is a tragic story of environmental degradation but I’m pleased to see that long-running research by our friend @thelabandfield.bsky.social and his colleagues is getting the attention it deserves!
On this island the birds are so full of plastic they crunch
It's an exclusive tourist destination and one of the most pristine places on the planet. It's the last place you would expect to find birds with bellies so full of plastic that they crunch if you sque...
www.abc.net.au
May 14, 2025 at 10:46 PM
This is a tragic story of environmental degradation but I’m pleased to see that long-running research by our friend @thelabandfield.bsky.social and his colleagues is getting the attention it deserves!
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
It's your final chance to complete our EDI survey which we're carrying out in partnership with @bioimaginguk.bsky.social - we'd love your input.
If you agree "Science has no passport, no gender, no ethnicity, no political party"
If you think that Science should be a space where everyone thrives..
Please complete this EDI Survey of the wider bioimaging community by Weds 14 May: shorturl.at/Bqcof
@physicsoflifeuk.bsky.social
If you think that Science should be a space where everyone thrives..
Please complete this EDI Survey of the wider bioimaging community by Weds 14 May: shorturl.at/Bqcof
@physicsoflifeuk.bsky.social
May 13, 2025 at 11:57 AM
It's your final chance to complete our EDI survey which we're carrying out in partnership with @bioimaginguk.bsky.social - we'd love your input.
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
Had a great time at the Physics of Life conference in Harrogate 2 weeks ago! Got to present some cool spore stuff again alongside @abigailroberts.bsky.social !
April 7, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Had a great time at the Physics of Life conference in Harrogate 2 weeks ago! Got to present some cool spore stuff again alongside @abigailroberts.bsky.social !
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
Thrilled to see our paper out today @plosbiology.org! By wonderful PhD student @deepanshund.bsky.social & great team of collaborating authors. Fungi hack immune receptor to drive immune evasion in the brain & cause neurodegeration. Thanx DarwinTrust @wellcometrust.bsky.social @BBSRC for funding. 😃
Toll-1-dependent immune evasion induced by fungal infection leads to cell loss in the Drosophila brain
This study identifies a new step in the evolutionary arms race between host and fungus in the Drosophila brain. The fungus B. bassiana exploits the Toll-1 host response to activate the MyD88 inhibitor...
journals.plos.org
February 13, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Thrilled to see our paper out today @plosbiology.org! By wonderful PhD student @deepanshund.bsky.social & great team of collaborating authors. Fungi hack immune receptor to drive immune evasion in the brain & cause neurodegeration. Thanx DarwinTrust @wellcometrust.bsky.social @BBSRC for funding. 😃
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
Interested postdoc applicants, please find link here.
Application deadline 19 March.
Application deadline 19 March.
February 3, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Interested postdoc applicants, please find link here.
Application deadline 19 March.
Application deadline 19 March.
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
Please repost! We’re trying hard to sort out rumors from truth + would like to hear from anyone affected by the new federal orders + NIH pause. Patients, scientists, health equity researchers: please contact us below. We won’t share anything without your permission. www.statnews.com/2025/01/25/t...
Are you affected by the Trump administration’s pause on health communications, science meetings, and reviews?
Have you been affected by the Trump administration’s pause on communications, science meetings, and reviews? @statnews would like to hear from you.
www.statnews.com
January 26, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Please repost! We’re trying hard to sort out rumors from truth + would like to hear from anyone affected by the new federal orders + NIH pause. Patients, scientists, health equity researchers: please contact us below. We won’t share anything without your permission. www.statnews.com/2025/01/25/t...
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
The research community has flocked to the social-media platform Bluesky.
Tell us about your experience
https://go.nature.com/42fihQG
Tell us about your experience
https://go.nature.com/42fihQG
Has Bluesky replaced X for scientists? Take Nature’s poll
The research community has flocked to the social-media platform Bluesky. Tell us about your experience.
go.nature.com
January 14, 2025 at 4:56 PM
The research community has flocked to the social-media platform Bluesky.
Tell us about your experience
https://go.nature.com/42fihQG
Tell us about your experience
https://go.nature.com/42fihQG
Such a pleasure to attend the graduation ceremony for my PhD at the University of Leeds last week. Even though my viva was over 6 months ago, attending the winter graduation was such a lovely way to end the year!
December 23, 2024 at 8:58 AM
Such a pleasure to attend the graduation ceremony for my PhD at the University of Leeds last week. Even though my viva was over 6 months ago, attending the winter graduation was such a lovely way to end the year!
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
Have you ever analyzed a #microscope image before- even just a single one? Please take our survey on progress and places to still improve for image analysis software! #microscopy #imageanalysis #bioimageanalysis forum.image.sc/t/2024-image...
2024 Image Analysis Survey
The Center for Open Bioimage Analysis , Bioimaging North America , the Royal Microscopical Society, and the Global Bioimage Analysts’ Society have now released a new and improved edition of our biannu...
forum.image.sc
October 21, 2024 at 8:55 AM
Have you ever analyzed a #microscope image before- even just a single one? Please take our survey on progress and places to still improve for image analysis software! #microscopy #imageanalysis #bioimageanalysis forum.image.sc/t/2024-image...
Reposted by Abigail Roberts
Fully funded Ph.D. position available in structural biology of bacteriophages.
Mechanism of phage infection in the C. difficile pathogen- towards effective phage therapy
For more details, visit:-
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Mechanism of phage infection in the C. difficile pathogen- towards effective phage therapy
For more details, visit:-
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Mechanism of phage infection in the C. difficile pathogen- towards effective phage therapy at University of Sheffield on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Mechanism of phage infection in the C. difficile pathogen- towards effective phage therapy at University of Sheffield, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
November 21, 2024 at 9:37 PM
Fully funded Ph.D. position available in structural biology of bacteriophages.
Mechanism of phage infection in the C. difficile pathogen- towards effective phage therapy
For more details, visit:-
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Mechanism of phage infection in the C. difficile pathogen- towards effective phage therapy
For more details, visit:-
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...