PhD in Medicinal Chemistry: Ligand Design for Tuberculosis at King's College London and A*STAR

King’s College London, in collaboration with A*STAR Singapore, is offering a unique PhD opportunity in Medicinal Chemistry focused on ligand design for targeting tuberculosis. This joint program allows students to spend 50% of their time in London and 50% in Singapore, providing a truly international research experience. The project aims to develop ligands that bind to a key microbial target within the tuberculosis bacterium, with the goal of inactivating it. The research is supervised by Professor Andre Cobb and Professor Roberto Steiner (King’s College London), Professor Amit Singhal (A*STAR, Singapore), and supported by Professor Dame Carol Robinson (University of Oxford) for ligand:protein binding studies. The studentship is fully funded for four years, covering tuition fees (home or international), an annual stipend at the UKRI rate (£22,780 for 2025/26), and a Research Training Student Grant for research consumables and conferences. While in Singapore, students receive additional support from A*STAR, including airfare, settling-in and IT allowances, a monthly housing subsidy, a monthly stipend (S$3,600), conference allowance, medical insurance, and coverage of research and visa costs. Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree in Chemistry or a related subject and demonstrate strong motivation for research in medicinal chemistry. The program is open to citizens from the UK, EU, USA, Canada, Latin America, and Australia. The application deadline is 22 February 2026. For more information and to apply, visit the King’s College London funding webpage and submit your application via King’s Apply. For questions, contact the King’s Doctoral College. Keywords: Medicinal Chemistry, Ligand Design, Tuberculosis, Organic Chemistry, Protein-Ligand Binding, Biomedical Science, Pharmacy, Pharmacology, Neuroscience, Molecular Biology.