PhD Studentship: Investigating the blueprint for bio-inspired next generation sunscreens

About the project

Rising ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels present a growing challenge for both human health and the environment. While sunscreens play a critical role in preventing skin cancer, many current UV-filter ingredients raise concerns around safety and ecological impact. This PhD project addresses this urgent need by developing bio-inspired sunscreens, drawing on nature’s own solutions to UV protection.

Working within a multidisciplinary team spanning academia and a leading cosmetic industry partner, you will investigate bio-inspired UV-filter molecules to understand how they safely and efficiently dissipate harmful UV energy. Using advanced approaches including ultrafast spectroscopy, and formulation science, you will generate molecular-level insight to guide the design of next-generation, sustainable UV-filters with broad-spectrum protection.

This is a collaborative studentship combining fundamental blue-sky research with real-world application [1], offering a unique opportunity to work at the interface of discovery science and industry innovation.

The candidate

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, supportive, and collaborative research environment and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, particularly those currently underrepresented in STEM. We believe that diversity of perspectives is essential for driving innovation and delivering research with meaningful societal impact.

We are seeking a creative, curious, and motivated candidate with a strong interest in spectroscopy (particularly laser-based techniques), physical chemistry, and/or biophysics. Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a strong undergraduate degree in Chemistry or a related discipline by the start of the project and should not already hold a PhD.

The successful candidate will be primarily supervised by Professor Vas Stavros at the University of Birmingham, joining a dynamic and supportive research group within the School of Chemistry. The project also includes collaboration with a leading cosmetic industry partner, offering opportunities to engage with real-world applications and broaden research experience beyond academia.

For informal enquiries, please contact Vas at v.stavros@bham.ac.uk

Funding notes:

This studentship is jointly funded by UKRI and industry, covering a stipend and tuition fees at the UKRI rate, and is open to UK students only; please contact Vas for further details.

References:

[1] A perspective on femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy in the development of future sunscreens, A.L. Whittock, T.T. Abiola and V.G. Stavros, J. Phys. Chem. A, 126 (2022) 2299.