About the Project
This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP) which is a BBSRC-funded PhD training programme in the biosciences, delivered by a consortium comprising the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter, along with the Rothamsted Research Institute. The partnership has a strong track record in advancing knowledge through high quality research and teaching, in collaboration with industry and government.
Studentships are available for entry in September/October 2017.
All SWBio DTP projects will be supervised by an interdisciplinary team of academic staff and follow a structured 4-year PhD model, combining traditional project-focussed studies with a supporting but focussed taught first year with directed rotation projects.
Supervisors for this project:
Main supervisor: Dr Giordano Pula (Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath)
Second supervisor: Dr Pedro Estrela (Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Bath)
Project description:
Bioengineering is a novel multidisciplinary area of research characterised by the development of engineering methodologies applied to biological and biomedical research. This is a growing field of research that will deliver fundamental changes to biological research and human health in the next decades. A PhD in this discipline will offer important and numerous opportunities of employment leading to challenging and rewarding research careers in both academia and private industries.
We offer a PhD studentship in bioengineering co-supervised by the departments of “Pharmacy and Pharmacology” and “Electronic and Electrical Engineering” of the University of Bath. The project will aim at the development of a novel biosensor for the detection of the biochemical activity of a class of enzymes called NADPH oxidase or NOXs. These enzymes are critical for the normal functioning of human cells and aberrations in their activity are responsible for several human conditions, including chronic inflammation, cardiovascular diseases (i.e. heart attacks and strokes), Alzheimer ‘s disease and cancer. Therefore there is enormous interest in developing new technologies enabling us to study these enzymes.
The supervisory team for this studentship is composed Dr Giordano Pula (Pharmacy and Pharmacology) and Dr Pedro Estrela (Electronic and Electrical Engineering), who have been collaborating on similar projects in the past, which led to the discovery of a novel semiconductor-based platform for the analysis of the activity of protein kinases (http://www.nature.com/articles/srep08687).
The studentship will entail training in mammalian cell cultures, recombinant DNA technologies, enzymatic assays in vitro, electrochemical modelling, biosensor design and fabrication, and microfluidics design and fabrication. Due to its multidisciplinary nature, this project will suit holders of biological/biomedical degrees (including pharmacology) with good foundations in mathematics and physics or holders of engineering degrees with solid foundations in chemistry and biochemistry.
For more information about the project, please contact Dr Giordano Pula ([Email Address Removed]).
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 or technology. In addition, due to the strong mathematical component of the taught course in the first year and the quantitative emphasis in SWBio DTP projects, a minimum of a grade B in A-level Maths (or an equivalent qualification or experience) is required.
Funding Notes
BBSRC SWBio DTP studentships are available to applicants who are classed as UK/EU for tuition fee purposes and will provide funding for a stipend (currently £14,296 per annum for 2016/17), a training support fee and UK/EU tuition fees for 4 years. Applicants who are classed as International for tuition fee purposes are not eligible for funding.
For more information, including how to apply, please see: http://www.bath.ac.uk/science/graduate-school/research-programmes/funding/bbsrc-phds/