This 4-year PhD studentship is open to both Home (UK) and international applicants. The successful candidate will receive an annual stipend at the UKRI minimum rate (currently £21,805 per year) plus £1,000/annum enhancement, and a research training support grant of up to £20,000 for the full 4-year programme. This project is in competition for funding with other projects. Usually, the projects that receives the best applicants will be successful.
Membrane proteins are essential components of cells, allowing them to sense and communicate across their outermost barrier. Ion channels translate chemical an physical signals into cellular responses and are consequently major therapeutic targets and candidates for incorporation into synthetic cells. However, studying membrane proteins is challenging because their structure and function depend on the surrounding lipid membrane. Conventional detergent-based extraction can disrupt this native environment, resulting in loss of protein activity or structure.
Amphiphilic polymers can directly excise nanoscale sections of cell membranes to form soluble “nanodiscs”, retaining membrane proteins together with their surrounding lipids. Styrene-maleic acid (SMA) polymers are widely used for this purpose but have significant limitations, including pH and ion sensitivity, low protein extraction efficiency and limited tunability for different transmembrane proteins.
This interdisciplinary PhD project will develop a new generation of chemically defined polymers for extracting and studying membrane proteins in native-like nanodiscs. The central objective is to determine how polymer structure controls membrane insertion, lipid extraction and nanodisc formation, and use these relationships to create materials that outperform conventional SMA polymers. Particular emphasis will be placed on extracting ion channels to understand how cells sense signals across their membranes.
The student will synthesise libraries of amphiphilic polymers in the Gibson group, using automated polymer synthesis to vary composition, hydrophobicity, charge and molecular weight. Polymers will be characterised using NMR spectroscopy, size-exclusion chromatography and complementary analytical methods, then screened for membrane interaction, lipid extraction and stable nanodisc formation. Resulting structure–activity relationships will guide subsequent polymer design.
Working with the Pliotas group, promising polymers will be applied to biological membranes containing ion channels. The student will learn membrane-protein production, purification and biochemical/biophysical characterisation, alongside methods to evaluate nanodisc formation and protein function. Functional ion[1]channel measurements will determine whether polymers can extract proteins while retaining the local lipid environment required for biological activity. Fullam will provide expertise in mycobacterial transmembrane proteins, while Pitt will provide expertise in lipidomics, ensuring all aspects are supported by experienced academic staff with a track record of collaboration.
The project is inherently cross-faculty and interdisciplinary, combining Gibson’s expertise in polymer/materials chemistry with Pliotas’ expertise in membrane-protein biochemistry and biophysics. The student will work across both research environments and receive joint supervision and training spanning polymer synthesis and characterisation, lipid and membrane science, molecular biology, protein biochemistry and functional membrane-protein analysis. This will be complemented by wider PGR training in research integrity, scientific communication, data analysis and transferable skills.
The anticipated outcomes are design rules for polymers capable of controlled extraction of native membrane lipids and proteins, and new polymer platforms that overcome the limitations of SMA. These will provide tools to interrogate how membrane composition influences ion-channel function and cellular sensing, with applications in structural biology, drug discovery and biotechnology.
This project is expected to start in September 2027.
Before you apply: You should contact the main project supervisor, Dr Christos Pliotas, to learn more about the project and discuss whether it may be suitable for you.
To be considered for this project you must submit a formal application through our online application portal by following the instructions provided here. Please note that you must select programme FSE PhD President’s Doctoral Scholarship:
If you already have an applicant account, use this link to open an application for FSE PhD President's Doctoral Scholarship. If you do not yet have an applicantaccount, follow the account setup instructions and then use this link to open an application for the correct programme.
When applying, please specify the full title and supervisor/s of the project, details of your previous study, and names and contact details of two referees. You must also upload a Supporting Statement describing your motivation to apply to the project, your CV and transcripts of awarded and in-progress university qualifications. Please note late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
Applicants are expected to hold (or be about to obtain) a minimum upper second-class undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent) in Chemistry, Biochemistry or a related molecular science. Research experience in either practical chemistry is desirable.
