Identifying high value compounds during a yeast fermentation of food waste

You will work on yeast strain development for use as a fortified strain in the fermentation industry with potential as a standalone product. Alongside, the post holder will look at identifying high value metabolites produced by the yeast during the fermentations. Furthermore, you will test the feasibility of upcycling vegetable loss to formulate a growth media for the microorganisms, lowering production costs and promoting circular economy. This will involve integrating microbial fermentation optimization and will build into an advanced artificial intelligence database which is currently one of the core missions within the School of Food Science at Leeds. These techniques will aim to give mechanistic and structural information on the complexity of microbial biomass, translational science through valorisation into high value compounds and to gain a greater understanding of the relationship between food waste and microbial fermentations.

<ul> <li>Designing, planning and conducting a programme of investigation on optimizing fermentation of vegetable and fruit sidestreams principally with yeast. Investigate the fermentation profiles of different yeast species when fermenting  a wide variety of fruit, vegetable and other biomass after hydrolysis and determine the cellular functionalty in the system of the microbes. Bacterial fermentations will also be pursued. </li> <li>Determining the changes in yeast during a fermentation using analytical tools such as ICP-OES, XRF, and NMR and correlating with production of desirable metabolites via HPLC and GC/MS.</li> <li>Seeking opportunities to develop yeast products from a fermentation of vegetable and fruit sidestreams in collaboration with relevant commercial stakeholders to accelerate commercialization of the scientific discovery;</li> <li>Generating independent and original research ideas and methods during the fermentations and explore biomass processing, yeast phenotyping and metabolic screening.  </li> <li>Developing research objectives and proposals and contributing to setting the direction of the research project and team including preparing proposals for funding in collaboration with colleagues;</li> <li>Preparing papers for publication in leading international journals and disseminating research results through recognised national and internal conferences and other industrial events;</li> <li>Working both independently and also as part of a larger team of researchers, engaging in knowledge-transfer activities where appropriate and feasible;</li> <li>Maintaining your own continuing professional development and acting as a mentor to less experienced colleagues as appropriate.</li> </ul>

<p><strong>You must contact the proposed supervisor for this project before you make a formal application. </strong></p> <p>A formal application for research degree study should then be made online through the University's website. You will need to create a login ID with a username and PIN: </p> <ul> <li paraeid="{79f6656e-e1a3-4ed7-8100-05e34a1b2680}{193}" paraid="1717955186">For ‘Application type’ please select ‘Research Degrees – Research Postgraduate’. </li> <li paraeid="{79f6656e-e1a3-4ed7-8100-05e34a1b2680}{208}" paraid="1941411394">The admission year for this project is 2026/27 Academic Year.   </li> <li paraeid="{79f6656e-e1a3-4ed7-8100-05e34a1b2680}{215}" paraid="1823221166">You will need to select your ‘Planned Course of Study’ from a drop-down menu. For this project, scroll down and select ‘PhD Food Science and Nutrition Full-time’.   </li> <li paraeid="{79f6656e-e1a3-4ed7-8100-05e34a1b2680}{222}" paraid="754352421">The project start date for this project is October 2026, please use this as your Proposed Start Date of Research. </li> <li paraeid="{79f6656e-e1a3-4ed7-8100-05e34a1b2680}{229}" paraid="202248598">Please state clearly in the research information section that the research degree you wish to be considered for is ‘Identifying high value compounds during a yeast fermentation of food waste’ as well as <a href="http://environment.leeds.ac.uk/faculty/staff/11368/dr-darren-greetham">Dr Darren Greetham</a> as your proposed supervisor. </li> </ul> <p paraeid="{79f6656e-e1a3-4ed7-8100-05e34a1b2680}{236}" paraid="812110430">If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence that you meet the University's minimum English language requirements (below). </p> <p paraeid="{79f6656e-e1a3-4ed7-8100-05e34a1b2680}{242}" paraid="1891516213">More information on how to apply is available on our website <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-applying/doc/applying-research-degrees" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">here</a>. You will need to provide copies of the following documents: </p> <ul> <li paraeid="{79f6656e-e1a3-4ed7-8100-05e34a1b2680}{247}" paraid="1858125611">a personal statement for this project, which outlines your interest in the project, why you have chosen it and how your skills map onto the requirements of the project </li> <li paraeid="{b7691fe9-ea3b-4404-b259-1b4dcd8acc81}{7}" paraid="877561217">your CV </li> <li paraeid="{b7691fe9-ea3b-4404-b259-1b4dcd8acc81}{14}" paraid="1448270499">certificates and transcripts of all academic qualifications </li> <li paraeid="{b7691fe9-ea3b-4404-b259-1b4dcd8acc81}{21}" paraid="932080590">English language qualification certificates </li> <li paraeid="{b7691fe9-ea3b-4404-b259-1b4dcd8acc81}{28}" paraid="1315959137">visa and immigration documents, if applicable </li> <li paraeid="{b7691fe9-ea3b-4404-b259-1b4dcd8acc81}{35}" paraid="226045984">funding information – sources of funding that you are applying for (e.g. government scholarship), or if you are able to pay your own fees and maintenance</li> </ul> <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> <p> </p>

Applicants to research degree programmes should normally have at least a first class or an upper second class British Bachelors Honours degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline.

For start dates from September 2026, the minimum English language entry requirement for research postgraduate research study in the School of Food Science and Nutrition 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 paraeid="{686f9f78-fc9e-41d5-9e2a-90c785646aa8}{183}" paraid="557166827"><strong>This is not a funded project, but you can apply for funding separately. Self-funding students are also welcome to apply. </strong></p> <p paraeid="{686f9f78-fc9e-41d5-9e2a-90c785646aa8}{187}" paraid="1936376053"><strong>Please note that in addition to the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-fees/doc/research-degrees-fees" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">tuition fee</a> for the programme there will also be a <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-fees/doc/postgraduate-research-bench-policy" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">bench fee</a> of £5,000 per year for this project.   </strong></p> <p paraeid="{686f9f78-fc9e-41d5-9e2a-90c785646aa8}{187}" paraid="1936376053">Funding opportunities for Home students – The <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/209-leeds-doctoral-scholarships-2026" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Leeds Doctoral Scholarship</a> and <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/234-leeds-opportunity-research-scholarship-2026" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Leeds Opportunity Research Scholarship</a> are available to UK applicants.  <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/60-alumni-bursary" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Alumni Bursary</a> is available to graduates of the University of Leeds. </p> <p paraeid="{686f9f78-fc9e-41d5-9e2a-90c785646aa8}{196}" paraid="629442306">Funding opportunities for International students –The <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/48-china-scholarship-council-university-of-leeds-scholarships-2021" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">China Scholarship Council - University of Leeds Scholarship</a> is available to nationals of China. <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/60-alumni-bursary" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Alumni Bursary</a> is available to graduates of the University of Leeds. </p>

<p>For further information regarding the project, please contact Dr Darren Greetham by email: <a href="mailto:D.Greetham@leeds.ac.uk">D.Greetham@leeds.ac.uk</a>. You must contact Darren before making an application. </p>