IC-3-7 Rewiring Mammalian Cells Metabolism to Enable Sustainable On-Demand Biomanufacturing

About the Project

This PhD is one of a number of projects hosted by the Centre for Doctoral Training in Green Industrial Futures (CDT-GIF). We are offering pioneering research projects that will enable PhD researchers to explore key technologies and solutions that will support UK industry to reach net zero.

Project Description

Mammalian cells are central hosts for biomanufacturing applications ranging from therapeutic protein production to cultivated meat. However, the scalability and sustainability of these systems are constrained by the high costs and environmental impact of cell culturing and scale up. Genetic engineering of mammalian cells impacts their growth leading to lower biomass and product yields while reliance of these hosts on complex media formulations makes the process unsustainable. This project aims to address these challenges by integrating synthetic biology, genome engineering, metabolic modelling and process and life cycle analysis to develop new mammalian cell chassis for sustainable biomanufacturing applications.

Supervisors

• Prof. Paul Fennell / cdtgreenindustrialfutures@hw.ac.uk
• Francesca Ceroni
• Rodrigo Ledesma Amaro
• Cleo Kontoravdi

Application Criteria

As a minimum we require candidates to have a First-class or 2:1 MEng or and MSc with merit (over 60%) in a relevant area i.e. Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Geoscience etc. Candidates for socio-politico-economic research topics will also be considered with a relevant MA. Applicants who have a First-class BSc/BEng (Hons) and can demonstrate significant relevant industry/research experience may also be considered.

Candidates should be aware of and meet the entry requirements for the university hosting the PhD studentship.

The ideal candidate will have experience with bacterial and mammalian cell culturing, molecular cloning, synthetic biology and modelling.

Funding Notes

The programme is four years and starts in September 2026. Funding includes full UK fees, tax-free stipend (2025/2026 stipend is £20,780 + around £2,000 London weighting), plus budget for travel and consumables.

Enquiries

cdtgreenindustrialfutures@hw.ac.uk

Application Web Page

https://greenindustrialfutures.site.hw.ac.uk/