Sustainable Commodity Chemicals through Enzyme Engineering & Design (SuCCEED) – 4 posts available

SuCCEED is a BBSRC-funded Prosperity Partnership multi-million project between The University of Manchester and Shell. Commodity chemicals are produced on a global scale and normally derived from finite geological sources. The Shell-UoM partnership seeks to re-imagine bulk chemicals manufacturing through industrial biotechnology, producing renewable chemical products from sustainable feedstocks and providing alternative scalable bioproduction routes to contribute to the global efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions.

A total of 4 PhD positions are available as part of the project developing an integrated portfolio of technologies to produce renewable chemical products from sustainable feedstocks which cannot be otherwise economically converted, with a marked impact on the carbon intensity of the product. Individual projects are available in the following areas:

· Achieving in vitro conversion of key biocompatible precursors to a wide range of commodity chemicals, using robust enzymatic conversions and optimise the catalytic efficiency and substrate/product scope through protein engineering/laboratory evolution (Supervisors: Prof. David Leys, Prof. Anthony Green).

· Experimental and techno-economical evaluation of biocatalytic conversions of suitable precursor enriched biomass and subsequent product extraction/isolation, identifying the main barriers when implemented at scale and, opportunities for simultaneous or staggered conversion to yield multiple products, to support viable biorefinery creation (Supervisors: Dr Vincenzo Spallina and Dr Jesus Esteban).

· Development of scalable processes to bio-derived commodity monomers and polymers, capable of efficient chemical recycling (Supervisor: Prof. Mike Turner).

· Development of efficient “translation ready” fermentation processes to yield relevant biocompatible precursors, using in vivo pathways for production of biocompatible precursors in a robust microbial chassis (Supervisors: Prof. Nigel Scrutton, Dr. James Winterburn).

· Development of suitable synthetic/molecular biology tools for pathway control and precursor level monitoring (Supervisor: Dr. Neil Dixon).

Potential applicants are advised to contact prospective supervisors at the earliest convenience to discuss their interests.

In addition to a 5^th PhD student (advertised separately in Life Cycle Assessment applied to chemicals production), the successful applicants join a 5-year project consisting of an interdisciplinary team of multiple group leaders with 8 post-doctoral research assistants and be based at the Manchester Institute for Biotechnology, the Henry Royce Institute and/or the James Chadwick Chemical Engineering Building, each providing state-of-the art equipment and research environment in the respective areas. Students will benefit from the structured and supportive UoM BBSRC DTP programme, close day-to-day support from the PDRA team and wide-ranging professional, personal and career development training with opportunities aligned to the Researcher Development Framework, co-supervision and industrial mentoring.

Eligibility

The standard academic entry requirement for this PhD is an upper second-class (2:1) honours degree in a discipline directly relevant to the PhD (or international equivalent) OR any upper-second class (2:1) honours degree and a Master’s degree at merit in a discipline directly relevant to the PhD (or international equivalent).

Before you apply

We strongly recommend that you contact the supervisors for this project before you apply.

How to apply

To be considered for this project you’ll need to complete a formal application through our online application portal.

When applying, you’ll need to specify the full name of this project, the name of your supervisor, how you’re planning on funding your research, details of your previous study, and names and contact details of two referees.

Your application will not be processed without all of the required documents submitted at the time of application, and we cannot accept responsibility for late or missed deadlines. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

If you have any questions about making an application, please contact our admissions team by emailing [email protected].

Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and economic impact.

We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status.

 We also support applications from those returning from a career break or other roles. We consider offering flexible study arrangements (including part-time: 50%, 60% or 80%, depending on the project/funder).