Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro

Funded PhD opportunity at Imperial College London in collaboration with A*STAR Singapore on co-cultivation of fungi and yeasts for protein- and fat-rich food ingredients . The project sits at the intersection of microbiology , biotechnology , food production , fermentation , and bioprocess scale-up . You will study microbial co-cultures that combine protein-rich filamentous fungi with fat-rich oleaginous yeasts such as Yarrowia lipolytica and Rhodotorula toruloides . Research tasks include identifying suitable media and cultivation conditions, testing wild-type and engineered strains, exploring directed evolution and inoculation ratios, developing laboratory-to-pilot-scale fermentation, and evaluating downstream processing such as freeze-drying and spray-drying. The ingredients will also be assessed for functionality, digestibility, nutritional composition, and possibly taste. The project is based across Imperial College London and A*STAR SIFBI in Singapore, with flexible timing between the two locations. At Imperial, the student joins Professor Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro ’s group in the Department of Bioengineering, which focuses on metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and microbial co-cultures for sustainable bioproduction. The Singapore partner contributes expertise in fermentation and downstream processing, and the wider collaboration includes the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein and partners at the National University of Singapore and Singapore Institute of Technology. This is a funded PhD . Imperial funding follows the UKRI standard stipend rate and covers home tuition fees; overseas applicants may apply if they can cover the tuition fee difference. During the Singapore attachment, the package includes a monthly stipend, housing subsidy, airfare grant, settling-in allowance, IT allowance, and conference allowance. Applicants must meet Imperial Bioengineering doctoral admission requirements and SRAP eligibility conditions. SRAP applicants must not be Singapore citizens or permanent residents, or existing SRAP awardees. To apply, email Naheed Khan with a single PDF containing your CV, referees, transcripts, motivation letter, and publications if any. Deadline: 31 October 2026 .

Funded PhD project in synthetic microbial communities , microbial co-cultures , fermentation , and food biotechnology at Imperial College London in collaboration with A*STAR Singapore . The project focuses on designing nutritionally complete microbial food ingredients from mixed co-cultures of safe fungi, yeasts, and bacteria. Research activities include community design, optimisation of culture conditions and media, pilot-scale fermentation up to 200 litres, and nutritional/functional characterisation of the resulting ingredients. The student will work across Imperial and A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), with flexible timing between London and Singapore. The studentship is part of the Singapore Research Attachment Programme (SRAP) and includes supervision across the partner institutions. Funding is strong: at Imperial, the stipend follows the UKRI standard rate and home tuition fees are covered. During the Singapore attachment, the package includes a monthly stipend, housing subsidy, airfare grant, settling-in allowance, IT allowance, and conference allowance. Overseas applicants may apply if they can cover the tuition fee difference. Applicants must meet Imperial Bioengineering doctoral admission requirements and SRAP eligibility rules. SRAP applicants must not be Singapore citizens or permanent residents, or existing SRAP awardees. To apply, email a single PDF containing your CV, two academic referees, transcripts, a motivation letter (max 1500 words), and publications if any. The deadline is 31 October 2026.