PhD EastBio Partnership – Artificial metalloenzymes for photocatalysis at Edinburgh
About the Project
Photocatalysts offer a route to sustainable chemical reactions using light as their energy source and operating under mild conditions. For these reactions to be fully utilised in synthesis asymmetric variants are needed. However, despite the long history of photochemistry, asymmetric photocatalytic reactions are still not well understood. Often multiple catalysts or high catalyst loadings are needed to ensure high enantioselectivities, reducing the sustainability of an otherwise very green class of reactions. The proposed PhD project will combine classical photocatalysts (Ru(bipy)3, Ir(bipy)(ppy)2) with the molecular recognition properties of enzymes, to provide novel biocatalysts for asymmetric photocatalysis. Using genetic code expansion and protein design we will develop a range of photoactive metalloproteins and study them in benchmark catalytic reactions including enantioselective 2+2 cycloadditions.
The research will be interdisciplinary, allowing the student to gain both cutting-edge chemical and biological skills. The student will receive in-house training in molecular biology (i.e. the growth, expression and purification of proteins, protein engineering including mutagenesis), catalytsis, synthetic organic chemistry and bioinorganic chemistry. In addition, training in structural biology will be conducted in collaboration with Dr Julia Richardson and include mass spectrometry, UV-visible spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography.
How to Apply
Closing date is Monday 16th November 2026, 11.59 pm GMT.
This 4-year PhD project is part of a competition funded by EastBio Partnership. For detailed guidance on the application process and the EastBio Application and Reference Forms, please see: https://biology.ed.ac.uk/eastbio/how-to-apply Please send your completed EastBio Application Form and a copy of your academic transcripts in pdf format to the Lead Supervisor, email: amanda.jarvis@ed.ac.uk Please also contact your referees and ask them to submit their references on the EastBio reference form template to the hiring supervisor: email amanda.jarvis@ed.ac.uk before the application deadline of 16th November 2026.
For more information and to apply visit https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/eastbio-partnership-artificial-metalloenzymes-for-photocatalysis/?p200131