Synthesis and processing of novel biomaterials

Supervisory team: Professor Derek Irvine, Dr Adam Dundas, and Professor Morgan Alexander

Applications are invited for a joint industrial and EPSRC funded PhD studentship with a late 2025 / early 2026 start hosted at the University of Nottingham (UoN) within the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and the School of Pharmacy.

The project will focus on the synthesis of polymers that resist the formation of biofilms and the development of processes to formulate/process them into new health/consumer care products e.g. oral and skin health products. The project will focus upon extending UoN patented polymer technologies that deliver their anti-attachment performance without the use of actives that kill. Hence, they will not contribute to the increase in anti-microbial resistance. The project will have a key focus on exploiting and developing chemistry to obtain materials at the hundreds of gram scale as it will allow transfer of these new biomaterials into formulation processing to create novel demonstrator health/consumer care products. 

The project will be conducted in close collaboration with industrial partner Haleon who are a world-leading manufacturer of consumer health products. This project is part of a strategy to deliver better everyday health for humanity. As such, it will provide a range of experiences in synthesis of polymeric molecules, development of routes towards a larger-scale processing, and for industrial collaboration in development of formulations with Haleon to translate the work into products that deliver care. There will be the possibility of research placements of up to a month in the partner institution’s laboratories.

Candidate requirements

• You should have, or be expected to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree - or equivalent if from other countries - in chemistry, chemical engineering or a related subject
• A MChem/MSci 4-year integrated Masters, a BSc + MSc, or a BSc with substantial research experience will be highly advantageous
• Experience in organic/polymer synthesis and/or material analysis will be beneficial
• EU applicants who can confirm residency in the UK for at least three years before October 2025 may also be eligible for a full award
• If English is not your first language you must provide evidence before the beginning of the studentship that you meet the university minimum English Language requirements of IELTS 6.0 with at least 5.5 in each element

Funding

The studentships are fully funded for 48 months. An enhanced stipend of £22,237 per annum is available. Tuition fees will be paid at the UK rate. International students must pay the difference between UK and international fees. 

Eligibility and how to apply

• Applications are open to UK and international candidates
• Closing date: 18 October 2025. The studentships will be filled as soon as possible thereafter. You are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
• To apply, you should email informally with Professor Derek Irvine or Dr Adam Dundas after which a formal application must be made via the university web site. Please complete the online application form available on the university postgraduate study webpage including your CV and quoting “Haleon Studentship” in the personal statement section.