Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
Application deadline: 17:00 GMT 13 January 2027
About the Project
A fully funded PhD opportunity to participate in the world-leading research undertaken by the EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award at the University of Sheffield.
Supervised by Prof Graham Stafford, Dr David A Gregory and Dr Stephane Mesnage.
The University of Sheffield is one of the leading Russell Group universities in the UK. We carry out cutting-edge research with strong links to industry. When you enrol to do a PhD with us, you will be working with world-leading academics and have access to top of the range facilities. As a PhD student you will have the opportunity to gain skills not only to conduct research, but also to take your career to the next level, whether you want to stay in academia, go into industry or the public sector, or set up your own company. You will have access to a range of training and support services to help you excel in your studies and beyond.
Project Description
Rapid detection of infectious bacteria is a key requirement for providing clean water and detecting and treating infections in humans and animals.
This highly interdisciplinary project will combine two biological engineering approaches to allow detection of bacterial pathogens using 3D-printed silk coatings on solid surfaces that are engineered to attach to naturally occurring pathogen detection proteins- in this case sourced from antibacterial viruses known as bacteriophage. These proteins will then capture bacterial cells that can be detected using the same detection proteins and visualised by rapid colour production.
The project will first develop pathogen capture capability and in parallel refine methods to detect the attached pathogens visually without the need for expensive devices.
The technology developed will aim to allow the rapid detection of infectious agents in a range of situations, with advisory input from clinical colleagues. The aim is to allow similar ease of use as the recently deployed COVID19 test used during the pandemic. This will ultimately aid in speed of diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections or evidence of water or food contamination to help public health.
Once a prototype is developed the team will develop the platform to deploy in a range of settings where detection of infectious agents is important- these may include food production, clean water testing and pathogen detection in human or animal samples (e.g. blood, urine, saliva).
This interdisciplinary project benefits from a supervisory team spanning the Medical, Engineering and Science faculties as well collaborators from the clinical microbiology team at Sheffield-teaching hospitals NHS trust.
How to apply
Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to contact the project supervisors to discuss your interest in and suitability for the project prior to submitting your application.
Please refer to the EPSRC DLA webpage for detailed information about the EPSRC DLA and how to apply.
Applicants must ensure that they use the correct application form linked to the EPSRC DLA webpage and must submit an application for October 2027 entry. The form is unique to the EPSRC DLA. It contains the list of advertised projects from which to select, and three questions specific to the DLA.
The application deadline is 17:00 GMT 13 January 2027.
The majority of our DLA studentships will be allocated to candidates who qualify for Home fee status, in accordance with EPSRC funding regulations which place strict limits on international recruitment.
Funding Notes
The award will fund the full tuition fee and a maintenance stipend at the UKRI rate (currently £21,805 per annum) for 3.5 years, as well as a research grant to support costs associated with the project.