4 Year GTA - Chemical energy conversion in biology studied using advanced spectroscopic and structural tools

About the Project

Open to UK applicants only

The School of Chemistry has fully-funded Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) studentships available for UK applicants, starting in September 2026.

The opportunities allow successful candidates to pursue their passion for research in the chemical sciences, alongside developing their skills as chemistry lecturers and educators of the future. This includes working toward gaining recognition as an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

The GTA involves laboratory demonstrating and other teaching responsibilities in term time, with approximately 80% of your time dedicated to research across the calendar year. These are 4-year positions that include an annual stipend and salary package, full UK tuition fees, and a research and training grant.

Project Highlights

• Understand natural chemical energy conversion through study of small molecule activation chemistry.
• Work at large-scale national and international research facilities.
• Gain a broad range of interdisciplinary skills that will open a wide range of future career paths.

Description

Redox properties of metal-containing active sites are critically important to many biocatalytic processes: one third of all proteins contain a redox-active metal, and ca 22% of submissions to the Protein Data Bank contain a transition metal. Metalloproteins capable of extracting energy from H2 gas, sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere, or performing complex monooxygenation reactions, rely upon the ability to access and control a range of often exotic metal oxidation states in an aqueous environment. Much of this crucial chemistry occurs at extremely fast rates, making it challenging to study using conventional structural and spectroscopic methods.

This project aims to investigate the catalytic mechanisms and structural dynamics of metalloenzymes that are vital for chemical energy conversion, with a focus on hydrogenase. State-of-the-art spectroscopic and structural studies will be combined with computational analysis to reveal critical but elusive transient intermediates by studying reactions in real time on sub-microsecond timescales. The outcomes of this project will provide a step change in our understanding of the mechanism of hydrogenase and other metalloenzymes, and will serve as inspirational catalysts for future green energy technologies

A PhD student will gain a broad range of interdisciplinary skills in spectroscopy, electrochemistry, chemical biology, structural biology, and biophysics whilst addressing critical questions about how nature achieves efficient chemical energy conversion. Together with the multidisciplinary research environment at the University of Leicester, this project provides an ideal means to gain crucial lab-based and interpersonal skills, as well as opportunities to undertake research at national and international research facilities.

Techniques that will be undertaken during the project:

• Computational modelling
• Molecular Biology (cloning & mutagenesis)
• Protein expression and purification
• X-ray Spectroscopy
• Time-resolved spectroscopy (infrared, Raman)
• Synchrotron science
• Chemical synthesis
• Enzyme kinetics
• Protein crystallisation
• Structure determination

Project enquiries to Dr Philip Ash - Philip.ash@leicester.ac.uk

Application enquiries to Dr Richard Doveston r.g.doveston@leicester.ac.uk (Postgraduate Admissions tutor for the School of Chemistry)

To apply please refer to the application advice and use the application link at https://le.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/funded-opportunities/chemistry-gta

Study start 21 September 2026