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Chemistry PhD research projects at Northumbria University are supervised by staff with extensive PhD supervision experience. Many chemistry projects have resulted in journal publications and patents. Several of our chemistry laboratories have been recently refurbished creating a good working environment. We have some vacancies for promising and well motivated self funding PhD students to work in the chemical and enzymatic catalysis.
The transformation of functional groups is of tremendous importance in organic chemistry. Many business sectors, e.g. the pharmaceutical chemistry industry, fine chemical and contract chemical organisations and the agrochemical industry rely on the efficient transformations of many types of organic functional groups. Within this project, we are interested in applying biocatalysis and metal catalysis to achieve functional group transformations. Areas of specific interest to this project includes biocatalytic transformations of nitriles, ketones and esters using nitrilase, ketoreductase and lipase enzymes and also the use of cloned enzymes to perform chiral, regiospecific synthesis in a sustainable ‘green’ manner. Oxidative transformations of functional groups (e.g. epoxidation, C-H hydroxylation, etc.) using chemical catalysis are also of interest. Within this area, we are interested in the synthesis and application of novel Mn(III)-based catalysts.
This project will be supervised by a member of the chemistry research team but initial expressions of interest should be submitted to Professor Stephen Stanforth, steven.stanforth@northumbria.ac.uk
You should apply using the University’s Research Application Form, available from the link on this page. Applications should be submitted to:
Linda Barlow, School of Life Sciences (email linda.barlow@northumbria.ac.uk)
Funding Notes:
This PhD programme is available to self-funding applicants only. Applicants should hold a first or upper second class honours degree (in a relevant subject) from a Higher Education institution, or equivalent. Students who are not UK/EU residents are eligible to apply, provided they hold the relevant academic qualifications, together with an IELTS score of at least 6.5 with no component mark of below 6.0.
References:
Biotransformation of nitriles using the solvent-tolerant nitrile hydratase from Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009, Gary W Black, Thomas Gregson, Christopher B McPake, Justin J Perry, and Meng Zhang, Tetrahedron Letters, 2010, Vol 51, No 13, 1639-1641.
Probing the Enantioselectivity of a Diverse Group of Purified Cobalt-Centred Nitrile Hydratases
Sander van Pelt, Meng Zhang, Linda G. Otten, Jarle Holt, Dimitri Y. Sorokin, Fred van Rantwijk, Gary W. Black, Justin J. Perry, Roger A. Sheldon, Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry,2011, Vol 9, No 8, 3011 – 3019.