PhD Studentships

This scholarship offers a full fee waiver for the last academic year of a PhD for recent Imperial graduates. The recipients of this scholarship will be expected to finish the PhD project within 3 years, with the first 2 years of fees being funded by the applicant. In case any extensions are needed beyond 3 years, these would have to be funded by the applicant. Only Imperial College graduates that have overseas fee status are eligible to apply. The Department encourages diversity and will accept a high merit degree classification from applicants. For more information please contact chemphd@imperial.ac.uk. 

The Department of Chemistry has departmental scholarships available for PhD applicants starting in 2025/26.

This scheme is only eligible to applicants who have home fee status. The scholarship will cover the full fees and stipend (UKRI London rate - £21,237 for 2024-25) for the 3 years 6 months of the student’s PhD studies.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds to apply. The Departmental Scholarship Panel will consider academic excellence, research potential and extracurricular activities. The Panel will also take into account other aspects, such as overcoming adversity, outreach and community activities and widening participation.

Interested candidates should make contact and discuss a research project with a PhD supervisor based in the Chemistry Department. After discussions with the chosen supervisor, candidates must complete a Chemistry Department scholarship application form. The supervisor will then return the documentation to the department for consideration by the Scholarship Panel. The date for submission of this documentation is Monday 2nd December 2024. There will be no panel interview.

We are committed to equality and valuing diversity. The Department of Chemistry is an Athena SWAN gold Award winner, a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Two Ticks Employer, and is working in partnership with GIRES to promote respect for trans people. We particularly encourage applicants from underrepresented backgrounds to apply.

The mission of the ICB CDT is to train postgraduate researchers with the language, knowledge and skills to enable them to work at the interface between the physical and life sciences, producing researchers with expertise and understanding that spans both fields, and who are able to embrace Lab of the Future platforms – which is at the heart of our new remit. This skill set is in great demand from future employers and short supply and has the potential to revolutionise the state of the art with respect to manipulating, measuring and modelling molecular interactions in biological systems and will transform R&D pipelines.

This will transform our understanding of molecular mechanisms of disease, stimulate novel agrochemical design and underpin structured product breakthroughs, whilst also enabling fundamental discovery in the life and medical sciences.

Our programme, with EDI, student empowerment & cohort formation at its core, fuses blue skies & translational research with professional skills courses and workplace training. Students emerge with a knowledge of molecular technologies, sustainable product development, lean innovation & early-stage commercialisation. Our multi-disciplinary supervision model, with every student in the CDT having at least two supervisors, one from the physical sciences and one from the life sciences, comprises 1-year MRes + 3-year PhD, with for the first time an optional 1 year post doctoral fellowship, called Elevate, that will offer graduates unparalleled in-work experience.

PhD Studentship in Chemical Biology

Imperial College, London

Applications are invited for a four year PhD studentship, starting 29th September 2025, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) project Enzymatic Methods for Peptide Synthesis (EZYPEP). The student will be based in the Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College, under the supervision of Professor Jason Micklefield. Tuition fees will be covered and you will receive a tax free stipend set at the UKRI-London rate.

Peptides are essential in life and are widely used as therapeutic agents, vaccines, biomaterials and in other important applications. Currently there are more than 80 peptide drugs approved world-wide, with many more in clinical trials, including essential antibiotics, antiviral and anticancer agents as well as treatments for diabetes. Most peptides are produced by solid phase peptide synthesis and related chemical methods that are outdated, problematic to scale-up, require large amounts of deleterious reagents and solvents that are damaging to the environment. In this PhD project we will address this problem by developing novel enzymatic methods for more sustainable, cleaner and scalable peptide assembly. The project will focus on developing next generation enzymatic peptide assembly technology that can deliver valuable pharmaceuticals ranging from small peptide drugs through to larger antibody drug conjugates (ADC). The PhD research programme will include: (i) using bioinformatics approaches to discover new ligases and other enzymes from nature, that facilitate peptide assembly and functionalisation; (ii) developing directed evolution approaches to improve the activity and substrate scope of the enzymes for peptide assembly; (iii) optimising processes for producing target peptides using novel separation methods to isolate peptide products.

Training will be provided in organic chemistry and biochemistry, including protein engineering, directed evolution, enzyme characterisation (X-ray crystallography and AI based modelling) and enzyme assays. Candidates are not expected to have expertise in all these areas at the outset; above all, scientific curiosity, and a desire to work in a multidisciplinary environment are most important. Candidates with a degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biological Sciences or a related science, who also possess a desire to do cutting edge research at the Chemistry-Biology interface are encouraged to apply. Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master’s in a relevant science or engineering related discipline. Applications including a brief cover letter, CV (no page limit), and the names of at least two referees should be sent by email to jason.micklefield@manchester.ac.uk (Deadline for applications is Monday the 18th November)

Please note the Micklefield lab will be based at Imperial College, London from the 1^st of December 2024.

Examples of related research and links from the Micklefield lab:

Cryptic enzymatic assembly of peptides armed with β-lactone warheads.  Xu et al. Nature Chem Biol 2024, 20, 1371–1379. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-024-01657-7

Enzymatic synthesis of peptide therapeutics. Xu & Micklefield Nature Chem Biol 2024, 20, 1256–1257. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-024-01658-6

 Discovery, Characterisation and Engineering of Ligases for Amide Synthesis. Winn et al Nature 2021, 593, 391–398. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03447-w

Merging Enzymes with Chemocatalysis for Sustainable Amide Bond Synthesis. Bering et al Nature Commun. 2022, 13, 380. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28005-4

Programmable late-stage C−H bond functionalization enabled by integration of enzymes with chemocatalysis. Craven et al. Nature Catalysis, 2021, 4, 385–394.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-021-00603-3

https://www.micklefieldlab.chemistry.manchester.ac.uk

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/chemistry/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPUNhcfKtKU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwvvTEa0ehk

PhD Studentship in Organometallic Chemistry – Pushing the Frontiers of Molecular Alkaline Earth Metal Chemistry

Applications are invited for a fully funded 3.5-year PhD studentship, starting in October 2025. The student will be based in the Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, under the supervision of Dr Josef Boronski. Tuition fees will be covered, and the successful applicant will receive a tax-free stipend set at the UKRI-London rate. The position is available to “Home” students only.

Project Background:

The interactions between metal atoms have long challenged our understanding of the nature of chemical bonding. Metal-metal bonds involving the most electropositive elements (e.g., alkaline earth metals) are notoriously difficult to stabilize. However, recent breakthroughs in this area have laid the foundations for important fundamental and applied studies of such species.

This project will explore the synthesis, reactivity, and applications of complexes and clusters featuring beryllium- and/or magnesium-metal bonds. Beryllium is the Periodic Table’s fourth element. Yet, due to its high toxicity, this metal’s chemistry remains almost entirely unexplored. As the properties of the lightest elements form the basis for our models of bonding, a comprehensive understanding of beryllium’s chemistry is of great fundamental importance. Magnesium is one of the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust. Thus, as reserves of platinum group metals (PGMs) dwindle, the use of magnesium-containing complexes in applications that typically require rare and expensive PGMs becomes an increasingly attractive prospect.

The successful applicant will apply air-free (Schlenk line and glovebox) techniques for the synthesis of organometallic main group complexes. Novel chemical species will be characterised using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, NMR or EPR spectroscopy, and quantum chemical methods.

Training and Opportunities:

The successful applicant will be trained in the techniques mentioned above and will have numerous opportunities for personal development. Students will: 1) attend workshops to learn new practical/experimental techniques and analytical methods; 2) present their research at national and international conferences; 3) participate in courses to support their transferable and employability skills.

 Equality and Diversity:

The Department of Chemistry at Imperial holds an Athena SWAN Gold Award. The whole community endeavours to provide an environment which allows its members to flourish. This leads to creative research of the highest quality, and community that is stronger than the sum of its parts.

 Entry Requirements:

The most important prerequisites for applicants are scientific creativity and curiosity. However, candidates should hold (or expect to achieve) the equivalent of at least a UK upper second-class degree in Chemistry (MChem) or a relevant related subject. Experience in the handling of air- and moisture-sensitive materials is desirable. Moreover, the ability to effectively communicate with colleagues and collaborators is necessary.

Applications should include a brief cover letter, one-page CV, and the names of at least two referees. These documents should be sent by email to j.boronski@imperial.ac.uk by the deadline of 28^th February 2025.

Examples of relevant publications:

• Diberyllocene, a stable compound of Be(I) with a Be–Be bond. Science, 2023, 380, 1147. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh4419
• A Nucleophilic Beryllyl Complex via Metathesis at [Be–Be]²⁺. Nature Chemistry, 2024, 16, 1295. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-024-01534-9
• A Crystalline NiX₆ Complex. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2024, 146, 35208. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c12125
• Inducing Nucleophilic Reactivity at Beryllium with an Aluminyl Ligand. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2023, 145, 4408. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c00480

Further Information:

Supervisor: https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/j.boronski

Department: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/chemistry/

Towards a better understanding of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) deposition methods for the application of responsive surface treatments

Supervisors: Dr Philip Miller, Dr Rob Davies & Dr Chris Tighe (Imperial College London), Dr Frank Hollmann (BASF/Chemetall)

Home Department: Departments of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London (South Kensington & White Campus)

Funding and Deadline: To be eligible for support, applicants must be “UK Residents” as defined by the EPSRC. The studentship is for 4 years starting as soon as possible and will provide full coverage of standard tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of approximately £21,240. Applicants should hold or expect to obtain a First-Class Honours or a high 2:1 degree at master's level (or equivalent) in any relevant chemical engineering or science subject. Funding is co-funded through Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and BASF.

Project summary
Coating technologies are integral to the manufacture and performance of modern materials. Almost every manufactured good, from our smart phones, cars and window frames to satellites and airplanes are modified with coatings to improve their performance, longevity and aesthetic appeal. This project seeks to explore the application of novel materials via plasma technologies to improve the performance of metallic surfaces. Conventional high temperature plasma technologies are often limited to the cleaning and passivation of surfaces; cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs), on the other hand, are an emerging technology that permit the generation of ionised gases close to room temperature. CAPs therefore enable the deposition of organic molecules and particles onto surfaces that would ordinarily be destroyed by conventional hot plasmas. Working with industry leaders in the pretreatment sector, this project will investigate CAPs as an alternative pretreatment technology for the deposition of organic, inorganic and organometallic species onto metal surfaces and to study the effects of these coatings for a range of applications.

We are seeking an ambitious and highly motivated candidate with a Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or Material Sciences background who is willing to work across different Departments and with industry partners. You will investigate the parameters that best control the deposition of organic and inorganic molecules by CAP and to assess the performance behaviors of coated surfaces towards environmental responses. You will develop novel organic-inorganic hybrid materials and explore their potential for coating via CAP and use surface characterisation methods to image and quantify coating integrity, homogeneity and performance.

The Industry Case (IDLA) PhD student will join an interdisciplinary cohort of students working under the umbrella of the IConIC Prosperity Partnership. An internship of min. 3 months will be facilitated and sponsored by BASF- Chemetall for the utilization of specific infrastructure and technology transfer.

To apply, please complete an application form Application process | Study | Imperial College London. Informal enquiries about the post and the application process can be made to Bhavna Patel (iconic-pp@imperial.ac.uk). 

Eligibility for student funding: https://www.ukri.org/councils/esrc/career-and-skills-development/funding-for-postgraduate-training/eligibility-forstudentship-
funding/