Computational Design and Study of Peptide-Like Foldamers for Supramolecular and Medicinal Chemistry

About the Project

These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying.

Foldamers represent a new frontier in molecular design, bridging biology and synthetic chemistry to create functional molecules with programmable shapes and properties.

This PhD project explores peptide-like foldamers as versatile scaffolds for applications in supramolecular and medicinal chemistry. These molecules, capable of adopting well-defined secondary structures, offer a unique opportunity to engineer supramolecular assemblies with tailored recognition or catalytic properties.

The project will focus on the computational and AI-assisted design of peptide-like foldamer sequences that promote specific non-covalent interactions and controlled folding. Molecular modelling and AI-based prediction tools will guide the design and selection of sequences for study. The synthesis of selected foldamers will be outsourced, and their folding and self-assembly behaviour will be characterised using NMR spectroscopy, circular dichroism, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography.

The student will learn how to apply molecular modelling and AI-assisted design tools, alongside experimental methods for structural and supramolecular analysis.

This project will appeal to students with backgrounds in chemistry, biochemistry, or chemical biology who are interested in combining computational and experimental approaches to understand and design functional molecular systems.

Decisions will be based on academic merit. The successful applicant should have, or expect to obtain, a UK Honours Degree at 2.1 (or equivalent) . We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, and are committed to having a diverse, inclusive team.

Informal enquiries can be made by contacting Dr Trembleau (l.trembleau@abdn.ac.uk)

Application Procedure:

Formal applications can be completed online: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pgap/login.php.

You should apply for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry to ensure your application is passed to the correct team for processing.

Please clearly note the name of the lead supervisor and project titleon the application form. If you do not include these details, it may not be considered for the project.

Your application must include: A personal statement, an up-to-date copy of your academic CV, and clear copies of your educational certificates and transcripts.

Please note: you do not need to provide a research proposal with this application.

If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at researchadmissions@abdn.ac.uk

Funding Notes

This is a self-funding project open to students worldwide. Our typical start dates for this programme are February or October.

Fees for this programme can be found here Finance and Funding | Study Here | The University of Aberdeen

Additional research costs of £6,000 per annum will be required in addition to tuition fees.

References

For examples of foldamer applications see:
(1) ‘Foldamer Catalysis’ Zebediah C. Girvin, Samuel H. Gellman J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 41, 17211–17223
(2) ‘Therapeutic Potential of Foldamers: From Chemical Biology Tools to Drug Candidates?’ Ranganath Gopalakrishnan, Andrey I. Frolov, Laurent Knerr, William J. Drury, III, Eric Valeur J. Med. Chem. 2016, 59, 21, 9599–9621.