"PhD Studentship: EPSRC - Ultra-high-throughput Engineering of Polymerases for Production of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics"

The University of Manchester - Department of Chemistry

Location: Manchester

Salary: £20,780 annual tax-free stipend set at the UKRI rate plus tuition fees

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On: 23rd February 2026

Closes: 31st March 2026

Application deadline:31/03/2026

Research theme:Biocatalysis, protein engineering, nucleic acids chemistry

UK only

This 3.5-year PhD studentship is open to Home (UK) applicants. The successful candidate will receive an annual tax-free stipend set at the UKRI rate (£20,780 for 2025/26; subject to annual uplift), and tuition fees will be paid. We expect the stipend to increase each year.

The start date is October 2026.

We recommend that you apply early as the advert may be removed before the deadline.

Therapeutic oligonucleotides are a powerful drug modality with the potential to treat many diseases. The rapidly growing number of therapies approved and in advanced clinical trials will place unprecedented demands on our capacity to manufacture oligonucleotides at scale. Solid phase phosphoramidite chemistry has underpinned small scale DNA synthesis for decades. However, this approach was not developed with large scale application in mind, and the method suffers from some inherent limitations that restrict its scalability and sustainability. Due to the limitations of existing synthetic methods, new approaches are urgently needed to deliver multi-tonne quantities of oligonucleotides required for therapeutic applications.

Our group has developed several biocatalytic approaches to oligonucleotide synthesis. However, to exploit enzymatic oligonucleotide synthesis at scale, we need enzymes that can operate efficiently under stringent process conditions and accept a range NTP substrates containing chemical modifications that are required to confer improved pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties. Within this project we will use ultra-high throughput screening techniques to engineer polymerases with improved properties for oligonucleotide manufacturing.

This is a highly interdisciplinary project at the cutting edge of enzyme engineering research and will offer diverse training opportunities for a post-graduate student in a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary setting (at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology). The student will gain broad expertise in microfluidics/high-throughput screening, directed evolution, molecular and structural biology, and process development.

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master’s (or international equivalent) in a relevant science or engineering related discipline.

To apply please contact the main supervisor, Dr Lovelock - sarah.lovelock@manchester.ac.uk. Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.