Cell membrane engineering for biotechnology

About the Project

Details of the Project

The global economy has an unsustainable dependence on fossil raw material and concerns about environmental sustainability are becoming more acute. Biotechnological processes using microorganisms as cell factories to produce valuable compounds from renewable biomass are an attractive alternative, and an increasing number of platform and high-value chemicals are being produced at industrial scale using this strategy. However, many microbial processes are not implemented at industrial level because the product yield is poorer and more expensive than achieved by chemical synthesis.

It is well-established that microbes show stress responses during bioprocessing and one reason for poor product output from cell factories is production conditions that are ultimately toxic to the cells, often at the level of the cell membrane. Examples of stresses that are demonstrably membrane-centric are solvents, e.g. butanol production by Clostridia and ethanol production by yeast, and weak acids such a lactic acid produced by bacteria. This project will seek to alter the cell membrane of industrial microbes to increase tolerance to stresses during bioprocessing.

Building on our recent findings in yeast and bacteria, the approach will use a powerful combination of in vitro assays, microbial cell culture, and ‘omics technologies to identify the molecular targets e.g. lipids and transporters. Genetic engineering to create strains will be followed by strain characterisation to determine if the desired membrane alterations have been achieved and if tolerance to a particular stress (or stresses) has been increased. Iterative design-build cycles will be undertaken as appropriate to further improve the strains.

This project would suit applicants with an interest in biophysics and biochemistry of the cell membrane and/or in microbial fermentations and industrial application of fundamental science.

Key references:

Linney, J.A., Routledge, S.J., Connell, S.D., Larson, T.R., Pitt, A.R., Jenkinson, E.R. and Goddard, A.D. (2023) Identification of membrane engineering targets for increased butanol tolerance in Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum. BBA Biomembranes 1865 (8), 184217.

Tharmasothirajan, A., Melcr J., Linney, J., Gensch, T., Krumbach, K., Ernst, K-A., Poggi, P., Pitt, A., Goddard, A.D., Chatgilialoglu, A., Marrink, S., Brasnett, C., and Marienhagen, J. (2023) Membrane manipulation by free fatty acids improves microbial plant polyphenol synthesis. Nature Communications 14 (1), 5619.

Lairón-Peris, M., Castiglioni, G.L., Routledge, S.J., Alonso-del-Real, J., Linney, J.A., Pitt, A.R., Melcr, J., Goddard. A.D., Barrio, E. and Querol, A (2021) Adaptive response to wine selective pressures shapes the genome of a Saccharomyces interspecies hybrid. Microbial Genomics. 7 (8), 000628.

Overseas Applicants

Overseas applicants may apply for this studentship but will need to pay the difference between the ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees. Currently the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £17,712 for 2026/7. As part of the application, you will be required to confirm that you will provide this additional funding. Please indicate this on the application form in the funding section.

Location

This position will be based on the Aston Campus in Birmingham, UK. The successful candidate will need to be located within a reasonable distance of the campus, and will be expected to visit in person regularly.

Person Specification

Candidates should have been awarded, or expect to achieve, EITHER:

a] a First or Upper Second Class award in their Undergraduate Degree (Bachelors or UG Masters) from a UK institution, in a subject judged by Aston to be relevant to the proposed research.

OR

b] a Merit (or above)* in a Postgraduate Masters degree in a relevant subject AND an Undergraduate Degree (Bachelors or UG Masters), both from UK institutions.

*where appropriate.

Qualifications from overseas institutions will be also considered but performance must be equivalent to that described above, and the University reserves the right to ascertain this equivalence according to its own criteria.

Contact information

For formal enquiries about this project contact Dr Alan Goddard at a.goddard@aston.ac.uk.

Submitting an application

We can only consider applications that are complete and have all supporting documents. Applications that do not provide all the relevant documents will be automatically rejected.Your application must include:

1. English language copies of the transcripts and certificates for all your higher education degrees, including any Bachelor degrees.
2. A Research Statement detailing your understanding of the research area, how you would approach the project, and a brief review of relevant literature. Be sure to use the title of the research project you are applying for. There is no set format or word count.
3. A personal statement which outlines any further information which you think is relevant to your application, such as your personal suitability for research, career aspirations, possible future research interests, and further description of relevant employment experience.
4. A Curriculum Vitae (Resume) which details your education and work history.
5. Two academic refereeswho can discuss your suitability for independent research. References must be on headed paper, signed and dated no more than 2 years old. At least one reference should be from your most recent University. You can submit your references at a later date if necessary.
6. Evidence that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not currently meet the language requirements, you can submit this at a later stage.
7. A copy of your passport. Where relevant, include evidence of settled or pre-settled status.

Interviews

Interviews will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted directly with details of the interview.

Apply for this position here

Please select “ Research - Biomedical Sciences” from the application form options.

If you require further information about the application process please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team at pgr_admissions@aston.ac.uk

Funding Notes

This project covers the Home tuition fees. Candidates who do not have Home status will be responsible for the difference in tuition fees. Currently the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £17,712 for 2026/7.

Project supervisors

Prof Alan Goddard

Prof Alan Goddard's profile is coming soon