Designing and engineering new chassis strains of E. coli for synthetic biology

This is an experimental project seeking to engineer new strains of E. coli (the most widely used species for biotechnology applications) which have increased ability to survive and grow in the presence of a range of products which it is important to generate in order to enable the generation of products currently made from and purified from petrochemicals from sustainable green processes.

E.coli can produce many of these products, but it inhibits its own growth often at concentrations that are too expensive to purify. We have a new way to identify the genes necessary to reduce the organisms sensitivity to these products, and have already made a starting strain ‘Opticoli’ which has better growth and resistance features. The goal of this project is to improve this strain further in order to make this highly engineerable species and strain a new basis for production of biofuels, sustainable bioplastic precursors, and other products.

This project will provide training in molecular biology, genomics, strain design and engineering, and a range of skills suitable for future research and careers in the areas of systems and synthetic biology.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for the above PhD topic please follow the steps below:

Contact the supervisor by email or phone to discuss your interest and find out if you would be suitable. Supervisor details can be found on this topic page. The supervisor will guide you in developing the topic-specific research proposal, which will form part of your application.
Click on the 'Apply here' button on this page and you will be taken to the relevant PhD course page, where you can apply using an online application.
Complete the online application indicating your selected supervisor and include the research proposal for the topic you have selected.

Good luck!

This is a self funded topic

This project includes a laboratory work was pursued, which is with additional ‘experimental cost bench fees’ of around £6,000 per annum.