Tom Clarke
4 days ago
Rewiring Photosynthetic Pathways in a Purple Bacterium University of East Anglia in United Kingdom
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Biochemistry
Funding
Available
Deadline
Nov 30, 2026
Country
United Kingdom
University
University of East Anglia
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Keywords
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About this position
PhD studentship at the University of East Anglia in the Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Programme (NRPDTP): Rewiring Photosynthetic Pathways in a Purple Bacterium.
This fully funded 4-year PhD project focuses on engineering the purple phototrophic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris to combine light-driven iron oxidation with DMSO respiration, with the long-term aim of enabling sunlight-powered reduction/oxidation processes that could support biological solutions for metal recovery and detoxification of industrial waste compounds. The project sits at the intersection of microbiology, synthetic biology, biochemistry, and biophysics, and offers strong training in molecular biology, protein chemistry, structural biology, and spectroscopic analysis.
Research activities include assembling plasmids for pathway expression under phototrophic conditions, extracting and characterising the PioAB iron-oxidising complex, and using Cryo-EM, spectroscopy, and spectrophotometry to investigate electron transfer and pathway energetics in vitro and in vivo. The work then moves into testing engineered strains for simultaneous iron oxidation and DMSO reduction, with possible follow-on adaptation to other metals and industrially relevant organic substrates depending on student interests and project progress.
The studentship is awarded as part of the Norwich Research Park Biosciences DTP and includes full tuition fees, a stipend for living expenses at the 2026/27 rate of £21,805, and a Research Training Support Grant of £5,000 per year. NRPDTP students also complete a three-month professional internship placement (PIPS), gaining additional research-adjacent work experience and professional development support. The programme describes a vibrant, inclusive research community at Norwich Research Park and provides bespoke applicant statement templates to support accessibility and fair representation.
Entry requirements specify at least a UK-equivalent Bachelor’s (Honours) degree at 2:1 and IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each category for the Faculty of Science equivalent. The start date is 1 October 2027, and shortlisted applicants will be interviewed on 2, 3, and 4 February 2027. Applications should be submitted via the University of East Anglia postgraduate research application route.
Funding details
Available
What's required
Applicants must have at least a UK-equivalent Bachelor's (Honours) degree at 2:1 level. English language requirement: IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each category for the Faculty of Science equivalent. The programme uses bespoke Personal and Research Statement templates that must be used in the application.
How to apply
Apply through the University of East Anglia postgraduate research application portal. Use the NRPDTP bespoke Personal and Research Statement templates for the required sections. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed on 2, 3, and 4 February 2027.
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Professors
Professor at University of East Anglia
United Kingdom
Research Interests
Biochemistry
Synthetic Biology
Environmental Science
Bio Engineering
Metabolic Pathways
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