Digital microfluidics for automated bioaerosol analysis

One full 3.5 years PhD scholarship is available working across the School of Earth and Environment and the School of Civil Engineering in 2025/26. This scholarship is open to UK applicants and covers UK-home rated tuition fees, together with together with a tax-free maintenance grant matching UKRI rates (currently £20,780) for 3.5 years. Training and support will also be provided. <br /> <br /> Working within the new Environmental Bioaerosol Group at the University of Leeds, part of the Future Biodetection Technologies Hub led by partners at the University of Hertfordshire, this fully funded PhD position provides an exciting opportunity to develop novel miniaturised bioaerosol detection platforms for public health, atmospheric science, and food security applications. The successful applicant will be benefit from a supportive research environment and access to brand new state-of-the-art research facilities, working alongside leading researchers in bioaerosol science, microfluidics, public health and environmental science.<br />

<p>The analysis of bioaerosols, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and pollen, is of great importance across a range of fields that impact on humans and our environment. COVID-19 demonstrated the enormous effect that airborne pathogens can have on public health, while crop and plant pathogens can devastate crops and pose a severe risk to food security. In the atmosphere, bioaerosols can affect cloud properties and influence climate as ice-nucleating particles (INPs) that trigger the freezing of cloud water droplets, but our lack of knowledge of their types, sources and activity is a key uncertainty in aerosol-cloud interactions within climate models. Traditional laboratory workflows typically require manual processing by skilled personnel, and is often slow and laborious. This limits in terms both temporal and spatial resolution, in turn impacting our understanding of the sources and dispersion of bioaerosols. While real-time fluorescence-based online monitors now exist, they are expensive, require significant expertise, and are unproven for many bioaerosols and applications. There is a need for integrated, automated bioaerosol analysis systems that can perform the sampling, identification and quantification of bioaerosols, with a cost and size suitable for forming monitoring networks to allow early detection and to understand their dispersion.</p> <p>This project will focus on designing, optimising, and testing new detection systems capable of rapidly identifying and characterising airborne biological particles. The successful candidate will benefit from access to state-of-the-art laboratories, advanced instrumentation, and multidisciplinary expertise, working alongside leading researchers in bioaerosol science, microfluidics, and environmental engineering.The successful PhD applicant will work as part of the Leeds Environmental Bioaerosol Group and with Future Biodetection Technologies Hub partners at the University of Hertfordshire. to develop novel microfluidic bioaerosol sampling and analysis platforms [1]. This will be achieved by:</p> <p>1.    Testing of the University of Hertfordshire’s electrostatic precipitator (ESP) for bioaerosol sampling, with a key aspect being the automation of sample collection and concentration for subsequent bioanalysis while maintaining a light weight to aid deployment.</p> <p>2.    Development of novel, integrated droplet microfluidic platforms that for performing automated immunoassay and DNA-based analysis of airborne pathogens.</p> <p>3.    Building a novel microfluidic cold stage to perform automated droplet freezing analysis of ice-nucleating pathogens that can impact both clouds and crops.</p> <p>4.    Integration of the sampling, bioanalysis and droplet freezing aspects to fabricate an automated “micro total analysis system” that provides sample-to-answer monitoring of bioaerosols in the field, including comprehensive field testing in different environments.</p> <p>Microfluidic platforms will be built using the world-class facilities at the Bragg Centre for Materials Research, with bioaerosol testing and validation achieved using the brand new state-of-the-art Chamber for Environmental Control of Airborne Microorganisms (CECAM) national facility in the School of Civil Engineering and the aerosol sampling and analysis instrumentation available in the Ice Nucleation Labs in the School of Earth and Environment.<br /> The student would join a friendly and supportive research environment and learn a variety of skills including microfabrication, instrument development, bioanalysis, and aerosol sampling.</p> <p>This PhD is perfect for candidates with a strong background in analytical science, environmental science, engineering, or a related field, and a keen interest in developing transformative technologies for real-world applications. The ideal candidate would have experience in the operation of aerosol sampling and analysis techniques and miniaturised systems for environmental science or public health.</p> <p><strong>References</strong><br /> [1] M. D. Tarn, K. J. Shaw, P. B. Foster, J. S. West, I. D. Johnston, D. K. McCluskey, S. A. Peyman and B. J. Murray, “Microfluidics for the biological analysis of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles: Perspectives and challenges”, Biomicrofluidics, 19 (1), 011502 (2025)<br />  </p>

<p>To apply for this project you will need to make a formal application for research degree study through the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-applying/doc/applying-research-degrees">University's website</a>. You will need to create a login ID with a username and PIN.</p> <ul> <li>For ‘Application type’ please select ‘Research Degrees – Research Postgraduate’.</li> <li>The admission year for this project is 2025/2026 Academic Year.</li> <li>You will need to select your ‘Planned Course of Study’ from a drop-down menu. For this project, scroll down and select PhD Earth and Environment Full-time’.</li> <li>The project start date for this project is 1st October 2025, please use this as your Proposed Start Date of Research.</li> <li>Please state clearly in the research information section that the research degree you wish to be considered for is Digital microfluidics for automated bioaerosol analysis as well as Dr Mark Tarn as your proposed supervisor.</li> </ul> <p><br /> More information on how to apply is available on<a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-applying/doc/applying-research-degrees"> our website here</a>. You will be required to provide a personal statement which outlines your interest in the project you are applying for, why you have chosen it and how your skills map onto the requirements of the project.</p> <p>If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence that you meet the University's minimum English language requirements (below).</p> <p><em>As an international research-intensive university, we welcome students from all walks of life and from across the world. We foster an inclusive environment where all can flourish and prosper, and we are proud of our strong commitment to student education. Across all Faculties we are dedicated to diversifying our community and we welcome the unique contributions that individuals can bring, and particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to Black, Asian, people who belong to a minority ethnic community, people who identify as LGBT+ and people with disabilities. Applicants will always be selected based on merit and ability.</em></p>

The minimum entry requirements for PhD study is a 2.1 honours Bachelor degree, or equivalent, in a subject relating to your proposed area of research, or a good performance in a Master’s level course in a relevant subject.<br /> <br /> A first class honours degree (or equivalent) is usually required to be competitive for scholarship funding and a Master's degree is also a valuable asset. <br /> <br /> Applicants who are uncertain about the requirements for a particular research degree are advised to contact the School or PGR Admissions Team prior to making an application<br />

The minimum English language entry requirement for postgraduate research study in the School of Earth and Environment is an IELTS of 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in each component (reading, writing, listening and speaking) or equivalent. The test must be dated within two years of the start date of the course in order to be valid.

<p>We are offering a fully funded scholarship to study the project Digital microfluidics for automated bioaerosol analysis, at the School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds for one UK status candidate. The funding covers UK tuition fees as well as a UKRI matched maintenance stipend (currently £20,780 in 2025/26) per year, for 3.5 years, subject to satisfactory progress.</p> <p>If you are unsure whether you are eligible for UK fees/funding, please see our<a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/undergraduate-fees/doc/fee-assessment"> fee assessment page</a></p>

<p>For further information please contact the Postgraduate Research Admissions Team by emailing <a href="mailto:ENV-PGR@leeds.ac.uk">ENV-PGR@leeds.ac.uk</a> or Dr Mark Tarn (<a href="mailto:m.d.tarn@leeds.ac.uk">m.d.tarn@leeds.ac.uk</a>)</p>