About the Project
Antibiotics make modern medicine possible. From routine surgery to cancer treatment, many hospital interventions rely on effective antibiotics to prevent deadly infections. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), however, is rising, and bacterial infections are becoming increasingly difficult to treat. Many of the antibiotics that have recently been approved belong to existing antibacterial classes with pre-existing resistance mechanisms. This project will explore a different source of antibacterial…
molecules: transition metal complexes. These compounds offer shapes, structures and modes of action that are difficult to achieve with conventional organic molecules, making them an exciting but still underexplored route to new antibiotics.
The student will use miniaturised, automated high-throughput synthesis at the University of York to prepare diverse libraries of metal complexes while reducing material use, solvent consumption and waste. These designed and curated libraries will be screened against bacterial target proteins of interest (transpeptidases and other related cell wall enzymes) in functional assays at the INEOS Oxford Institute (IOI) to identify new inhibitors. The resulting data will feed into a human-in-the-loop machine learning workflow that guides the design of focused second-generation libraries with improved target engagement. Promising hits will then be resynthesised, characterised and tested against isolated proteins and subsequently against whole bacterial cells, including clinical isolates and panels of isogenic strains (efflux, porin, siderophore transport knock-outs).
Delivered with the INEOS Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research (IOI), the project combines sustainable synthesis, antimicrobial drug discovery, automation and AI to train a student at the interface of chemistry, microbiology and data-driven molecular design.
Supervisory Team:
Dr Angelo Frei (York Chemistry)
Useful links:
Further information
The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Chemical Synthesis for a Healthy Planet (CSHP CDT) is a EPSRC-funded centre focused on training the next generation of synthetic chemists, developing a sustainable, innovative chemistry culture that equips students to address major emerging and future global challenges in Human Health, Energy & Materials, and Food Security.
We offer a fully-funded four year PhD programme, delivered jointly by the Universities of Oxford and York, comprised of taught courses and a substantive research project. Student cohorts will work together in a 4-month training period at both Oxford and York, before embarking on their main PhD projects. These substantive projects will be industry co-supervised, and based at either the Department of Chemistry in Oxford, or the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence at York and the associated Department of Chemistry.
This PhD project will primarily be based at the University of York.
The first application deadline is 13th November 2026. We will continue to receive applications following this deadline, however some of the projects may be filled following the assessment of the first round of applications. We therefore encourage you to submit your application early to ensure that your first choice project is available.
All project partners recognise the importance of equal participation, progression and success for all. We strive to provide a working, learning, social and living environment that will enable all our staff and students to contribute fully, to flourish and to excel - a place where we can ALL be ourselves.
The Department of Chemistry in York holds an Athena SWAN Gold Award, while the Department of Chemistry in Oxford holds a Silver Award. Both are committed to supporting equality and diversity for all staff and students. The Departments strive to provide a working environment which allows all staff and students to contribute fully, to flourish, and to excel; for more details, see: Equality and Diversity at York and Equality and Diversity at Oxford.
In particular, we recognise the importance of the equal participation of women at all levels in a subject that has traditionally been male-dominated. We also particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented across the partnership.
Eligibility Criteria
You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project (usually chemistry or chemical engineering, but please get in touch if you think your qualification may be relevant). Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.
Check the entry requirements for your country.
English language requirements.
How to apply
Submit an online PhD in Chemistry application.
You will need to prepare the following information:
- 1000-word personal statement, focusing on your interest and experience in your proposed field of research
- Clearly state your 1-2-3 choice of substantive research projects chosen from our list at the end of your personal statement
- Transcripts detailing your university-level qualifications and marks to date
- Two Academic/Professional References: you will be required to submit contact details for 2 referees
- Complete the CSHP CDT Studentship: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Data Form (for York applicants only).
For more details on the application and selection processes, and for answers to general questions (i.e. funding eligibility, project allocation, etc.) please visit our how to apply and FAQs section or join us for our online open event.
Contact Details
Project-specific Dr Angelo Frei, angelo.frei@york.ac.uk
General CDT enquiries: cshp-cdt@chem.ox.ac.uk or chem-env-pgr@york.ac.uk
Funding Notes
This project will be funded under the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Chemical Synthesis for a Healthy Planet (CSHP CDT). These CDT studentships provide 100% home fees, a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £21,805 (2026/27 UKRI rate), and a research training support grant of £20,000.
Candidates of any nationality are welcome to apply and up to 30% of EPSRC CDT studentships may be awarded to exceptional international students. Please note funding does not include visa costs or NHS surcharge for visa holders.
Not all projects will be funded; a limited number of strong candidates will be appointed via a competitive process.
References
- D. R. Husbands, Ç. Özsan, A. Welsh, R. J. Gammons, A. Frei ”High-throughput triazole-based combinatorial click chemistry for the synthesis and identification of functional metal complexes” Nat. Commun. 2025, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67341-z - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-67341-z
- M. Orsi, B. S. Loh, C. Weng, W. H. Ang, A. Frei ”Using Machine Learning to Predict the Antibacterial Activity of Ruthenium Complexes” Angew. Chem. 2024, DOI: 10.1002/anie.202317901 - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.202317901
- A. Frei, A. D. Verderosa, A. G. Elliott, J. Zuegg, , M. A. T. Blaskovich ”Metals to combat antimicrobial resistance” Nat. Rev. Chem. 2023, DOI: 10.1038/s41570-023-00463-4 - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41570-023-00463-4
- A. Frei, J. Zuegg, A. G. Elliott, M. Baker, S. Braese, C. Brown, F. Chen, C. G. Dowson, G. Dujardin, N. Jung, A. P. King, A. M. Mansour, M. Massi, J. Moat, H. A. Mohamed, A. K. Renfrew, P. J. Rutledge, P. J. Sadler, M. H. Todd, C. E. Willans, J. J. Wilson, M. A. Cooper, M. A. T. Blaskovich "Metal complexes as a promising source for new antibiotics", Chemical Science 2020, 11, 2627-2639. Inside Cover DOI: 10.1039/C9SC06460E - https://pubs.rsc.org/sc/article/11/10/2627/664248/Metal-complexes-as-a-promising-source-for-new