About the Project
Supervisors
- Primary Supervisor: Dr Darren N. Nesbeth (Department of Biochemical Engineering, UCL)
Industrial biotechnology can replace deforestation-linked palm oil with functionally identical "drop-in" oils fermented from oleaginous yeast on food-waste feedstocks. Clean Food Group (CFG) already does this at one-million-litre scale in the UK using its CLEAN OilCell™ platform, built on the non-conventional yeast Metschnikowia pulcherrima (M. pulcherrima). Two challenges now dominate the sustainability and economics of recovering the oil: the use of n-hexane — a flammable, fossil-derived, neurotoxic solvent classed as a hazardous air pollutant — for lipid extraction; and the energy-intensive conditioning needed to breach the rigid yeast cell wall (drying, disruption, demulsification) before extraction.
This studentship tackles both challenges at their root. Aim (i) develop and benchmark food-safe, solvent-lean recovery routes — supercritical CO2, food-grade bio-based solvents (e.g. 2-methyloxolane), and energy-efficient mechanical or pulsed-electric-field disruption methods to wet biomass — and compare performance against the incumbent hexane process for yield, oil quality, energy and cost. Aim (ii) engineer the biology of M. pulcherrima to be self-conditioning such that oil is released with little or no hexane and minimal conditioning. This will involve designing, building and testing a process-condition-triggered genetic circuit, switched by an end-of-fermentation temperature or pH shift, to then express cell-wall-degrading, and lipid-clearing enzymes as outputs.
The design extends proven, process-input-triggered logic-gate architectures established previously in the Nesbeth Group. These gene networks couple a given bioprocess input to a downstream-processing-easing enzyme output. Integrated with techno-economic and life-cycle analysis and validated toward pilot scale with CFG, the project targets a hexane-free, lower-energy manufacturing route and a generalisable "self-conditioning cell factory" concept for the wider industrial-biotechnology sector.
Clean Food Group
Clean Food Group is a UK-based food-tech company that manufactures sustainable oils and fats using yeast fermentation and food waste to replace traditional ingredients like palm oil. Their proprietary technology converts food waste into functional oils and fats, providing eco-friendly replacements for resource-heavy agricultural products like palm oil and animal fats. Clean Food Group is amongst the world's largest manufacturers of yeast fermentation-derived sustainable oils and fats, operating a major 12-acre biotechnology manufacturing hub in Knowsley, Liverpool, which serves as the global epicentre for its sustainable oils and fats production.
Deadline and Application Process
The deadline for submission is 9th September 2026
The interviews and timings will be confirmed with candidates via email.
The successful candidate is expected to start 1st October 2026
To apply please submit your FORMAL APPLICATION to the RRDBENSING01 Research Degree: Biochemical Engineering through UCL’s application portal by the deadline. More information about the course and application process is available here: Biochemical Engineering MPhil/PhD | Prospective Students Graduate - UCL – University College London
Funding Notes
This Studentship is available to UK students only.
This PhD Studentship is funded for four years and includes a maintenance stipend and tuition fees (Home rate). The maintenance stipend is a minimum of £23,805 per year (tax-free) to support living costs. The studentship award covers tuition fees at the Home rate.
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