Water-resistant adhesives inspired by marine organisms

Nature offers a vast inspiration source to many engineering problems. Bio-inspired designs often display superior performances while complying with sustainability requirements. For example lotus leaves, spider silk and gecko feet represents the starting point for the development of, respectively, self-cleaning surfaces, Kevlar armours and wall climbing robots.
In this PhD programme, marine seaweed will be considered to develop durable water-resistant adhesives for uses in wet environments, i.e. surgery, biomedicine, naval and biosensors. Research will spin around four major subjects of development: molecular biology of the adhesive molecules expressed, characterization of the chemical formulation of the adhesive, determination of the adhesive force, and production of synthetic counterparts for commercial use. Biotechnology, Chemistry and Engineering methods will be merged together to answer these questions. The specific area of the PhD project will be determined accordingly to project needs as well as the candidate skills and preference.
We are seeking a motivated and creative candidate willing to explore this new area of development. The candidate must have a 1st class degree in Engineering (chemical or materials) or a Science degree (chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology).