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Click here to search FindAPhD.com for PhD studentship opportunities(BBSRC DTP) Exploiting the variation in cellulose synthesis to generate novel renewable biomaterials.
About the Project
Rapidly increasing CO2 levels and the way in which this is altering our climate has become one of the most pressing problems of our age. One means of reducing CO2 emissions is to use biomass as a renewable source of feedstock to generate biofuels, biomaterial, and other chemicals. Plant cell walls are the only source of biomass that are sufficiently abundant to make a meaningful contribution to decreasing CO2 emissions. Cellulose, a polymer of glucose, is the world’s most abundant biopolymer. It has remarkable structural properties that make it very strong and insoluble. We have a long track record in understanding how cellulose is synthesised in higher plants such as Arabidopsis. However, lower plants offer an untapped source of variation in the way in which cellulose is synthesised and the structure of the cellulose microfibril that it produces. The availability of very large amounts of sequence information from a wide variety of plants, including many diverse algae, offers an excellent opportunity to examine the diversity in cellulose structure and synthesis. Algae and other lower plants make a wide variety of cellulose microfibrils that differ in their size and shape, exhibiting widely varying mechanical and chemical properties. Understanding how to synthesise novel cellulose in higher plants would offer the opportunity to generate novel biomaterials from a truly renewable source and start to unlock the full potential of this remarkable polymer for the use in the synthesis of a new generation of biomaterials that are both biodegradable and derived from a completely renewable resource.
http://www.manchester.ac.uk/research/Simon.turner/
Eligibility
Applicants must have obtained or be about to obtain a First or Upper Second class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of science, engineering or technology.
Before you Apply
Applicants must make direct contact with preferred supervisors before applying. It is your responsibility to make arrangements to meet with potential supervisors, prior to submitting a formal online application.
How To Apply
To be considered for this project you MUST submit a formal online application form - full details on eligibility how to apply can be found on the BBSRC DTP website https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/funded-programmes/bbsrc-dtp/
Your application form must be accompanied by a number of supporting documents by the advertised deadlines. Without all the required documents submitted at the time of application, your application will not be processed and we cannot accept responsibility for late or missed deadlines. Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you have any queries regarding making an application please contact our admissions team [Email Address Removed]
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. The full Equality, diversity and inclusion statement can be found on the website https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/apply/equality-diversity-inclusion/
Funding Notes
References
McQueen-Mason, S.J. (2022). Flexible and Digestible Wood Caused by Viral-Induced Alteration of Cell Wall Composition.
Curr. Biol. 32, 3398-3406. e3396
Kumar, M., Carr, P., and Turner, S.R. (2022). An Atlas of Arabidopsis Protein S-Acylation Reveals Its Widespread Role in
Plant Cell Organization and Function. Nature Plants 8, 670-681. doi:10.1038/s41477-022-01164-4
Kumar, M., Mishra, L., Carr, P., Pilling, M., Gardner, P., Mansfield, S.D., and Turner, S.R. (2018). Exploiting Cellulose
Synthase (Cesa) Class-Specificity to Probe Cellulose Microfibril Biosynthesis. Plant Physiol. 177, 151-167.
doi:10.1104/pp.18.00263
Turner, S., and Kumar, M. (2018). Cellulose Synthase Complex Organization and Cellulose Microfibril Structure.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society a-Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences 376.
doi:10.1098/rsta.2017.0048
Xiao, S.L., Chen, C.J., Xia, Q.Q., Liu, Y., Yao, Y., Chen, Q.Y., Hartsfield, M., Brozena, A., Tu, K.K., Eichhorn, S.J., Yao, Y.G., Li,
J.G., Gan, W.T., Shi, S.Q., Yang, V.W., Lo Ricco, M., Zhu, J.Y., Burgert, I., Luo, A., Li, T., and Hu, L.B. (2021). Lightweight,
Strong, Moldable Wood Via Cell Wall Engineering as a Sustainable Structural Material. Science 374, 465-471.
doi:10.1126/science.abg9556
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