PhD Studentship: Smart Materials for Equipment-Free Surveillance of Plant Viruses and Viral Vectors

Award summary 

100% Home fees covered, and a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £19,237 (2024/25 UKRI rate).  

Overview 

The productivity and resilience of agricultural systems faces multiple challenges from climate change, growing consumer demand and global trade that facilitates the spread of pests and diseases. You will use cell-free synthetic biology for the identification of important viruses and their vectors with the goal of improving in-field diagnostics and surveillance methods. You will design molecular cascades capable of identifying target species and will experimentally test different designs for their sensitivity and specificity. You will gain hands-on experience in the use of cell-free transcription/translation reactions to broaden the biocomputational potential of these devices and will be trained in mathematical modelling of biological systems and in the use of statistical Design of Experiments. By coupling these skills with the pipetting robotics available in our laboratory, you will rapidly test, understand and optimise device performance. You will take advantage of our expertise in embedding cell-free molecular biology reactions into hydrogels to develop multifunctional materials capable of extracting, identifying and/or discriminating between targets in a single device.  

Number of awards 

One 

Start date  

16th September 2024 

Award duration 

3 Years 

Application closing date 

19th August 2024 

Sponsor 

IAFRI 

Name of supervisor/s 

Thomas Howard, Jem Stach (Newcastle) and Adrian Fox, Jenny Tomlinson (Fera) 

Eligibility Criteria 

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project (biological sciences or a related discipline.) 

Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.  

The studentship covers fees at the Home rate (UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status and meet the residency criteria). International applicants are welcome to apply but will be required to cover the difference between Home and International fees. 

Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills.  

International applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance certificate prior to obtaining their visa and to study on this programme.  

How to apply 

You must 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:   

• Search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8020F 
• Research Area: Biological Sciences 
• Select PhD Biology (full time) as the programme of study  

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ 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 SNES294 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 the ‘Supporting Documentation’ section please upload:      

• Your CV 

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application. 

Contact Details 

Dr Thomas Howard: [email protected]