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The University of Manchester
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FSE PhD President's Doctoral Scholarship - Synthetic Polymers to Stabilise Sensing Proteins into Membrane Nanodiscs The University of Manchester in United Kingdom
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Biochemistry
Funding
Available
Deadline
Dec 18, 2026
Country
United Kingdom
University
The University of Manchester
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About this position
This 4-year PhD studentship at The University of Manchester sits at the interface of polymer chemistry, membrane biophysics, and protein science. The project is focused on developing a new generation of chemically defined amphiphilic polymers that can extract membrane proteins from their native lipid environment and stabilise them in soluble nanodiscs.
The research tackles a key challenge in membrane protein science: conventional detergent extraction can disrupt the lipid surroundings that many proteins need to retain their structure and activity. Here, the student will work on polymers designed to directly excise nanoscale sections of cell membranes while preserving membrane proteins and their surrounding lipids. A particular emphasis of the project is on ion channels, which are important for cellular sensing and signalling.
Working in the Gibson group, the student will synthesise libraries of amphiphilic polymers using automated polymer synthesis and systematically vary composition, hydrophobicity, charge, and molecular weight. These materials will then be characterised and screened for membrane interaction, lipid extraction, and the formation of stable nanodiscs. The resulting structure–activity relationships will be used to guide further polymer design.
The project offers an interdisciplinary research environment and uses analytical and characterisation methods including NMR spectroscopy and size-exclusion chromatography. The work is framed around understanding how polymer structure controls membrane insertion and nanodisc formation, with the goal of creating materials that outperform conventional SMA polymers for studying challenging transmembrane proteins.
The project is supervised by Dr Christos Pliotas.
Funding details
Available
What's required
Applicants must hold or be about to obtain a minimum upper second-class undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent) in Chemistry, Biochemistry or a related molecular science. Research experience in practical chemistry is desirable.
How to apply
Contact the main project supervisor, Dr Christos Pliotas, to discuss suitability for the project. Submit a formal application through the online application portal and select the FSE PhD President’s Doctoral Scholarship programme. Include the full project title, supervisor details, previous study information, two referees, a supporting statement, CV, and transcripts.
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