Genomic and metabolic stability in large-scale Yarrowia lipolytica fermentation

Motivation:

Precision fermentation uses microorganisms to produce proteins, lipids and other valuable ingredients. Loss of strain productivity during scale-up remains a barrier to reliable manufacturing. Understanding the genetic and metabolic factors behind this instability could help develop more consistent production strains and improve the performance of industrial fermentation.

Project Specifics:

• Use beta-carotene-producing Yarrowia lipolytica strains as a model system to investigate stability during fermentation.
• Develop and screen CRISPR-based knockout and overexpression libraries under scale-down bioreactor conditions.
• Use cell sorting and next-generation sequencing to identify genes associated with survival and productivity.
• Engineer promising changes into production strains and assess whether they improve stability and productivity at larger scale.

Lab & Location:

The research will be carried out across Imperial College London and A*STAR SIFBI in Singapore. The timing of the periods in London and Singapore is flexible and will be agreed with the student. The studentship forms part of the Singapore Research Attachment Programme (SRAP), with supervision across Imperial and the Singapore partners.

At Imperial, the student will join Professor Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro’s group in the Department of Bioengineering. The lab specialises in metabolic engineering, synthetic biology and microbial co-cultures for sustainable bioproduction. The Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein at Imperial brings together research and training to develop sustainable alternative proteins.

The Singapore partner is A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), which provides expertise in fermentation and downstream processing. The wider collaboration includes the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein at the National University of Singapore and the Singapore Institute of Technology, contributing expertise in food functionality and nutrition.

For informal enquiries, contact Naheed Khan (n.khan2@imperial.ac.uk). Applicants must meet Imperial Bioengineering’s doctoral admission requirements and SRAP eligibility conditions. SRAP applicants must not be Singapore citizens or permanent residents, or existing SRAP awardees.

Application Process

How to Apply: To submit your application please email Naheed Khan (n.khan2@imperial.ac.uk). You should follow the following format;

1. Email subject - ‘A*STAR_IMPERIAL /Project No./ Your name’
2. A single PDF document containing –
   1. CV
   2. Two academic referees within the last 6-9 months
   3. Transcript(s)
   4. Motivation letter max word limit 1500 words - (please refrain from using AI tools).
   5. Publications (if any)
3. Please combine all files into 1 document.

Deadline:

31st October 2026

Funding Notes

PhD Studentship – UKRI-Rate Stipend and Home Tuition Fees Covered (International applicants are welcome to apply but must fund the difference between Home and Overseas tuition fees)

During the research attachment in Singapore, the funding package provides:

• Monthly stipend of S$3,600
• Monthly housing subsidy of S$300 for students living off campus
• One-time airfare grant of S$1,500
• One-time settling-in allowance of S$1,000
• One-time IT allowance of S$800
• Conference allowance