Dr D Jenkins
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
In 1883 Emil Christian Hansen isolated a single yeast cell which enabled a pure yeast culture to be grown and used to produce beer. The improved quality and predictability of pure cultures quickly led to the vast majority of beer being made using pure cultures. An alternative approach is multi-strain fermentations, whereby pure cultures of known strains are mixed and co-fermentation occurs. With increased availability of yeast strains and phenotypic knowledge of these strains, we can now make informed selections when combining yeast in fermentations with the intention of improving either the product or process. This PhD project will look to screen co-fermentations to determine the potential benefits of using such systems in brewing. It will use analytical, microbiological and genetic analysis to monitor the stability of these populations and the cellular communication within the cultures, with a view to improving the brewer’s control over the fermentations.
The research will be completed at the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD), Edinburgh (UK). The centre has a long history of closely collaborating with industrial partners in brewing and distilling and is part of the School of Engineering & Physical Sciences located in the Riccarton campus of Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. The multidisciplinary nature of this project would suit candidates with a background in microbiology, analytical chemistry or brewing. Strong laboratory skills will be vital to this project and practical experience of analytical chemistry (GC-MS, GC-FID, HPLC) and genetic analysis (PCR, RT-PCR) whilst not essential, would be an advantage.
The funding is available to Home/EU students. The ideal candidate will have a 1st or strong 2:1 Honours degree or a Masters in a biological science, chemical or biochemical engineering discipline (or similar scientific field). Please direct enquiries and applications (CV and cover letter) to Dr David Jenkins ([Email Address Removed]). The closing date for applications is 10th August 2019.
Subject areas
• Brewing
• Yeast
• Microbiology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Science
Application enquiries
Please direct enquiries and applications to Dr. David Jenkins [Email Address Removed]
Funding Notes
This 3-year PhD studentship will include an annual stipend for the duration of the project (current stipend level for 2018/19 is £14,777) and fees (Home and EU student).