PhD in Materials Science

3.5-year D.Phil. studentship Project: Efficient engineering and control of predictable and reliable biotechnologies. Supervisors: Prof Antonis Papachristodoulou and Prof Harrison Steel This project will focus on solving challenges at the interface of Synthetic Biology, Control Engineering, AI, and Robotics, and their application to global challenges across biotechnology. The approaches taken will depend on the candidate’s skills and interests, but may include genetically engineering microbes to change form and function (if the candidate has a strong biological background), developing theory and computational methodologies/AI that advance our ability to design reliable engineered biosystems (if the candidate has strong math/computer science background), or building new robotic measurement and control tools that push the boundaries of experimental biosciences (if the candidate has experience or interest in robotics or electrical engineering). Potential project extensions include applying these skills to sub-disciplines of Engineering Biology such as directed evolution, protein engineering, or biomedical and environmental applications. The project will enable candidates to build a broad skillset in the design, engineering, and application of new biotechnologies, providing an ideal foundation for future careers in academia, the bioscience industry, or entrepreneurship/start-ups. The studentship will integrate with work across the EPSRC Programme Grant “EEBio: Efficient engineering and control of predictable and reliable biotechnologies” ; as such the candidate will be supported by a multidisciplinary team of academic and industrial experts with experience in related areas of biotechnology and have opportunities to collaborate with industrial and academic partners nationally and internationally.