PhD studentship – Development of Biophotovoltaic Prototypes for Architectural Integration

PhD studentship – Development of Biophotovoltaic Prototypes for Architectural Integration

Award Summary

The funded PhD studentship covers home tuition fee rates and an annual stipend of £17,668 (subject to minor change) for 3 years. 

Overview

Newcastle University is ranked 1st in the UK and 18th globally in the QR World University Rankings for Sustainability and Social Impact (2022). This studentship is a unique opportunity to investigate the design, scalability, and life cycle of biofacade prototypes for clean energy generation.

Photosynthetic microorganisms (hereafter algae) have the potential to transform building facades into ecospheres where energy can be harvested and consumed in a closed loop. Photosynthesis harvests and utilises light energy to split water and fix C02 for autotrophic growth and in this process algal cells release some electrons extracellularly. Biophotovoltaics (BPVs) harness such electrogenesis of oxygenic photosynthesis to generate a small amount of electricity in the light as well as in the dark.

The research project will uniquely investigate the semi-living device design itself which has not been explicitly developed. Design-led scientific inquiry into early-stage use-inspired research such as this can lead to a quantum leap in technology readiness levels. This project responds to timely interest in biofacades from both architecture and algal biotechnology for a net-zero society.

Scalability bottlenecks need solutions particularly in response to the global challenge of electrical waste in tandem with carbon-neutral architectural visions. We aim to harness Nature’s 2.7-billion-year energy solution for both technology and culture.

The successful candidate will benefit from the supervisor’s earlier work ‘Solar Biobattery’, building upon existing collaborations (Sawa M, Fantuzzi A, Bombelli P, Howe CJ, Hellgardt K & Nixon PJ (2017) Electricity generation from digitally printed cyanobacteria. Nature Commun. 8, 1327).

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

January 2023

Award Duration

3 years

Application Closing Date

20 Dec 2022

Sponsor

 Co-funded by the Newcastle University’s NUAcT scheme and theHub for Biotechnology in the Build Environment (HBBE) . 

Supervisors

Dr Marin Sawa  

Eligibility Criteria

Home and international students are eligible to apply. International students would need to demonstrate they can pay the difference between the home and international fee level.

Candidates must have:

• An excellent master’s degree related to algal biotechnology
• Experiences of laboratory experiments
• Demonstrable interest in the intersection of biology and design

Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS 6.5 overall (6.5 in writing and minimum 6.0 in all others).

The candidate will develop understanding and skillsets in interdisciplinary areas of investigation including the design and characterisation of photosynthetic bioelectrodes and biophotovoltaics. The research will involve algae/cyanobacteria cultivation, cell immobilisation, biofilm, prototype fabrication, electrochemical characterisation, bioimaging, and life cycle analysis and design.

We are committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion and encourage applications from under-represented groups.

How To Apply

1.     Contact Dr. Marin Sawa ([email protected] )

2.     Email the following to Marian Kyte [email protected] (CC Marin Sawa ) quoting the reference code APL033 in the heading:

• CV
• Master’s thesis
• Degree transcripts and certificates and, if applicable, a copy of the IELTS result

3. To apply for a studentship, you must register and apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal  

Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.  

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:  

• you can search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8160F
• the Research Area is: Architecture
• select ‘PhD School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape (full time) – Architecture’ as the programme of study 

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Questions’ section:  

• a ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) – upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form  
• the studentship code APL033 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field  
• when prompted for how you are providing your research proposal – select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert – you do not need to upload a research proposal. 

 In addition, before you submit your application you will need to upload the following supporting documentation:  

• degree transcripts and certificates and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualification if already completed.  

You will not be able to submit your application until you have submitted all required documents/information. 

Contact Details

Dr Marin Sawa  

E-mail: [email protected]

School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape

Newcastle University