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Closing date: Our recruitment will remain open until 2025.

In 2025, we will celebrate 125 years of University status by Royal Charter. One of the ways we are celebrating this important milestone is by making a significant investment in our research and appointing 25 new Anniversary Chairs.

As a leader in your field, with a track record of exemplary research, this permanent appointment will offer you sustained and strategic focus on advancing your research.

We’re looking for diverse talent from across the world to help us make new discoveries and tackle global challenges. You will work with the brightest minds at the forefront of different subject areas to tackle the most pressing global challenges, and the opportunity to be mentored and supported by senior leaders at the University and beyond, and to collaborate with our strong networks of partners.

You will be critical in driving the excellence of our research to make an even greater difference to the world around us. Join us as we celebrate our 125th anniversary, and be part of our ambitious, exciting future.

Our inclusive and intellectually challenging education programmes are underpinned by cutting-edge knowledge and taught by leading researchers to encourage independent thinking and develop the next generation of leaders, innovators and problem-solvers. In this role you will contribute to teaching and learning, and management and administration.

Department of Engineering, Supervisors: Dr Rob Beadling & Professor Michael Bryant

Funding & Eligibility: Funded (UK Students Only)

Application deadline: Applications accepted all year round

The aim of this studentship will be to utilise in-situ monitoring and advanced mechanical testing of tribological systems to better understand the performance of modern total hip replacement devices, evolution of the bearing contact, and the progression of degradation processes over time. Objectives include:

• To develop an experimental framework with multi-modal in-situ sensing techniques, capable of fully characterising material degradation.
• Correlation of sensor signals to ex-situ analysis of material surfaces and generated lubricant products following long-term tribological articulation.
• Scale up of assessment from simplified 2D tribological contacts to complex full-component configurations under representative operating routines.

The project will be in close collaboration with a medical device manufacturer working towards introduction of a novel device. Please contact Dr A. R. Beadling (a.r.beadling@bham.ac.uk) for more information.

Glycan sensing technology for early and accurate cancer diagnosis

Department of Chemical Engineering, Supervisors: Professor Paula Mendes

Application deadline: Applications accepted all year round

Funding & Eligibility: Competition Funded / UK/EU Students

Cell and gene therapies are poised to transform medicine by providing personalized and effective treatments for patients with chronic or life-threatening diseases. However, the complexity and high costs linked with the manufacturing of cell and gene therapy products have been severely constraining market availability and patient accessibility to these life changing therapies. There is an urgent need for innovative technologies that can address current challenges facing cell and gene therapy biomanufacture. Major advances are needed to enrich process integrated analytical tools, enabling accurate, real-time measurement of cell therapy key attributes during biomanufacture. This interdisciplinary project aims to develop smart switchable biosensors for real-time monitoring of cell-secreted, or bioreactor supplemented, cytokine biomarkers. For the first time, we aim to combine this novel switchable technology with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS), enabling on-demand electrochemical biosensing on-chip. Conceptually different from traditional biosensors where the surface immobilised recognition elements act as passive receptors, we introduce nature inspired surfaces with the unique ability to actively manipulate single-domain antibodies ie. nanobodies, conferring antigen-nanobody binding control. Consequently, analytes can be captured in space and time for on-demand detection, supporting real-time data capture for different periods of time. The switchable biosensor platform will bring innovation to cell therapy bioprocessing, leading to the implementation of fully automated, robust cell therapy culture processes to reduce production costs, and ultimately deliver cost-effective and impactful therapeutics to patients in need.

The project will be carried out in partnership with Imec R&D, nano electronics and digital technologies (imec-int.com) (Belgium) with opportunity for scientific visits and training.

A first degree (typically BSc or Masters) in Engineering, Chemistry, Material Sciences, Physics or Biology is required. Applications including CV and detailed education with grades should be addressed to Professor Paula Mendes (p.m.mendes@bham.ac.uk)

Subject Areas:

Surface Chemistry, Switchable Biological Surfaces, Bionanotechnology, Electrochemistry and Biosensing, CMOS.

• Department of Chemical Engineering, Supervisors: Professor Liam Grover & Dr Lisa Hill
• Application deadline: 1 September 2025
• Funding & Eligibility: Directly Funded/UK Students

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student with a strong scientific background and a desire to develop interdisciplinary research skills to join a cutting-edge project at the intersection of ophthalmology, fibrosis biology, and bioengineering. The successful candidate will be enthusiastic, curious, and keen to work in a diverse, collaborative research environment.

Project Overview

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. It arises from fibrotic remodelling of the trabecular meshwork, a filter-like structure in the anterior chamber of the eye. As the tissue stiffens and pores close, intraocular pressure rises, ultimately damaging the optic nerve. While current treatments aim to manage this pressure, they come with significant side effects and do not reverse fibrosis.

POAG disproportionately affects individuals of Black African descent, but the reasons behind this disparity remain poorly understood. Interestingly, keloid scarring — another fibrotic condition (which is often observed at an early stage following minor skin wounds) — is also far more common in Black populations. Both conditions involve dysregulated collagen production and aberrant TGF-β1 signalling, raising the possibility of shared molecular mechanisms.

Project Aims

This PhD project will focus on investigating the fibrotic behaviour of cells isolated from glaucoma patients of different ethnic backgrounds. The student will:

• Isolate and culture cells from the trabecular meshwork of glaucoma patients.
• Assess fibrotic responses, including extracellular matrix production, stiffness, and gene expression profiles.
• Explore correlations between fibrotic phenotypes and patient ethnicity.
• Test six novel anti-fibrotic peptides (developed using generative AI to target TGF-β1 receptors) for their ability to modulate pathological cell behaviour in vitro, with potential for progression to in vivo testing in a rodent model of glaucoma.

Candidate Profile

Applicants should hold (or expect to obtain) a 1st or 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent) in the physical or biomedical sciences. We welcome candidates who are passionate about science, eager to work across disciplinary boundaries, and motivated to tackle real-world health disparities.

Smart Materials: Harnessing Sound to Combat Bacterial Growth

Department of Chemical Engineering, Supervisors: Professor Paula Mendes

Application deadline: Applications accepted all year round

Funding & Eligibility: Competition Funded / UK/EU Students

Cell and gene therapies are poised to transform medicine by providing personalized and effective treatments for patients with chronic or life-threatening diseases. However, the complexity and high costs linked with the manufacturing of cell and gene therapy products have been severely constraining market availability and patient accessibility to these life changing therapies. There is an urgent need for innovative technologies that can address current challenges facing cell and gene therapy biomanufacture. Major advances are needed to enrich process integrated analytical tools, enabling accurate, real-time measurement of cell therapy key attributes during biomanufacture. This interdisciplinary project aims to develop smart switchable biosensors for real-time monitoring of cell-secreted, or bioreactor supplemented, cytokine biomarkers. For the first time, we aim to combine this novel switchable technology with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS), enabling on-demand electrochemical biosensing on-chip. Conceptually different from traditional biosensors where the surface immobilised recognition elements act as passive receptors, we introduce nature inspired surfaces with the unique ability to actively manipulate single-domain antibodies ie. nanobodies, conferring antigen-nanobody binding control. Consequently, analytes can be captured in space and time for on-demand detection, supporting real-time data capture for different periods of time. The switchable biosensor platform will bring innovation to cell therapy bioprocessing, leading to the implementation of fully automated, robust cell therapy culture processes to reduce production costs, and ultimately deliver cost-effective and impactful therapeutics to patients in need.

The project will be carried out in partnership with Imec R&D, nano electronics and digital technologies (imec-int.com) (Belgium) with opportunity for scientific visits and training.

A first degree (typically BSc or Masters) in Engineering, Chemistry, Material Sciences, Physics or Biology is required. Applications including CV and detailed education with grades should be addressed to Professor Paula Mendes (p.m.mendes@bham.ac.uk)

Subject Areas:

Surface Chemistry, Switchable Biological Surfaces, Bionanotechnology, Electrochemistry and Biosensing, CMOS.

The School of Chemical Engineering is dedicated to raising awareness of chemical engineering amongst young people by working closely with schools, colleges, teachers and career advisors.

Visit the Chemical Engineering outreach page for more information.

For Work Experience placements, email: hti@contacts.bham.ac.uk.