Fully Funded PhD in Smart Sorbents for Sustainable Oligonucleotide and Oligopeptide Purification University of Leeds in United Kingdom

Fully funded PhD opportunity at the University of Leeds in collaboration with AstraZeneca.

The project is titled EPSRC DLA with AstraZeneca: Smart Sorbents for Cost-Effective, Sustainable Oligonucleotide & Oligopeptide Purification and is based in the School of Chemistry and the Institute for Process Research and Development, with additional supervision from the Astbury Centre for Molecular Structural Biology. The research focuses on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for selective purification of oligonucleotides and oligopeptides (TIDES), combining computational chemistry, materials chemistry, separation science, and flow chemistry to improve sustainability and reduce solvent use in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The project is supervised by Dr Andrea Laybourn, Dr Orde Munro, Professor Frank Sobott, and Dr Louis Diorazio at AstraZeneca. The successful candidate will gain interdisciplinary training in MOF synthesis and characterisation, adsorption behaviour, computational modelling, and advanced analytical methods for biological macromolecules. A major benefit is a fully funded 3-month placement at AstraZeneca’s R&D site in Macclesfield.

Funding includes full academic fees and a tax-free maintenance grant at the standard UKRI rate of £21,805 for 3.5 years. The opportunity is open to UK-fees applicants only due to funder requirements.

Eligibility highlights include a first-class or upper second-class Bachelors Honours degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline; some applicants may also need a Masters degree depending on the research degree criteria. Non-native English speakers must meet the University’s minimum English language requirement (IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in each component or equivalent).

Applications must be submitted through the University of Leeds research degree portal. The deadline is 30 June 2026, and the project start date is 1 October 2026. Applicants should select the correct application type and course, state the project title clearly, name Dr Andrea Laybourn as proposed supervisor, and upload transcripts, a personal statement, and a CV.