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Microbiology (Structured PhD)

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Course Overview

All PhD students in the College of Science will enrol in a Structured PhD: www.nuigalway.ie/science/rgroups.html

Major research themes/clusters
Research activity in Microbiology is carried out in three broad topics:

Energy and environment 
Microbes are being exploited for sustainable energy generation from renewable biomass and waste, e.g., biofuel cells, anaerobic digestion.

Marine 
Marine microbiology underpins the study of climate change, marine productivity and diversity. NUI Galway researchers are studying the microbes that drive geochemical nutrient cycles.

Infectious diseases
All infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms. Research foci are; infection mechanisms, food borne illnesses, antibiotic resistance and diagnostics.

Programmes Available

Structured PhD, 4 years, full-time.
Applications are made online via the University of Galway Postgraduate Applications System. 

Associated

Learning Outcomes

Entry Requirements

To be eligible to enter on a programme of study and research for the degree of PhD you must have reached a high honours standard at the examination for the primary degree or presented such evidence as will satisfy the Head of School and the College of your fitness.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Current research projects

Current funded research opportunity

Work Placement

Related Student Organisations

Career Opportunities

Find a Supervisor / PhD Project

If you are still looking for a potential supervisor or PhD project or would like to identify the key research interests of our academic staff and researchers, you can use our online portal to help in that search

Course Outline

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject
Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject
A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (0 Credits)

Year 2 (90 Credits)

Year 3 (90 Credits)

Year 4 (90 Credits)

Year 5 (90 Credits)

Year 6 (0 Credits)

Year 7 (0 Credits)

Year 8 (0 Credits)

Research Areas

http://www.nuigalway.ie/microbiology/

  • Molecular diagnostics
  • Host-pathogen studies
  • Microbial glycobiology
  • Microbial diversity in aquatic environment
  • Recombinant protein production
  • Deep ocean microbiology
  • Stress responses in food borne pathogens
  • Food borne pathogen epidemiology
  • Antibiotic and disinfectant resistance
  • Applied ecology and habitat management

Researcher Profiles

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€5,750 p.a. (€5,890 including levy) 2026/27

Fees: Non EU

€15,000 p.a. (€15,140 including levy) 2026/27

Extra Information


EU Part-time: Year 1 €4,250 p.a. (€4,390 including levy) 2026/27


All students, irrespective of funding, must pay the student levy of €140.

Contact Us

Dr. Conor O'Byrne 
T +353 91 493 957 
E conor.obyrne@universityofgalway.ie
www.nuigalway.ie/microbiology
www.nuigalway.ie/courses/graduate/micro_research.html