Designed Protein Assemblies

This PhD project is part of a wider project to generate protein-organised engineered materials. The idea of the PhD project is to contribute to our understanding of the scaling requirements of protein assemblies generated by project partners and to develop methods to enable their application in materials generation. The project will involve elements of protein design, protein overexpression and purification, protein and protein assembly characterisation using SAXS and other methods and potentially characterisation of produced materials. The PhD candidate will have an opportunity to work with leading world experts in the field of protein design, characterisation and materials synthesis across multiple institutions as well as at the University of Leeds including potential exchange visits to enable collaborative work. One full scholarship is available in the School of Chemistry in 2026/27. This scholarship is open to UK applicants and covers UK fees plus a maintenance allowance matching current UKRI rates (£21,805 in 2026/27). This scholarship is part of an Advanced Research + Invention Agency-funded project, subject to contract negotiations.

<p>At Leeds, the project is collaboration between <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/chemistry/staff/4198/professor-michael-webb">Professor Michael Webb</a> (School of Chemistry), <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/chemistry/staff/5903/dr-jo-galloway">Dr Johanna Galloway</a> (School of Chemistry) and <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/physics/staff/9991/timothy-moorsom">Dr Tim Moorsom</a> (SCAPE/School of Physics) and will also require collaboration with a number of local, national and international partners. The student will work in the School of Chemistry at the University of Leeds but also have the opportunity to work with other researchers in the wider University through the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/bragg-centre-materials-research">Bragg Centre for Materials Research </a>and the <a href="https://astbury.leeds.ac.uk/">Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology</a>.</p> <p><strong>Selection Process</strong> </p> <ul> <li>All applications will be considered after the deadline. Only complete applications will be considered.</li> <li>Awards are based on academic merit and no other factors such as financial hardship are taken into account.</li> <li>Applicants will be e-mailed within 4 weeks of the deadline to confirm the outcome.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Other Conditions</strong></p> <ul> <li>Awards must be taken up by 1 October 2026</li> <li>Candidates who have previously been awarded a PhD or are currently registered on a PhD are excluded from applying. Those who were previously studying for a PhD but did not complete may be considered</li> <li>The awards are available for new Postgraduate Researchers undertaking full-time research study leading to the degree of PhD.</li> <li>Applicants must live within a reasonable distance of the University of Leeds whilst in receipt of this studentship.</li> <li>Please be aware that any expenses related to the relocation of students to the UK (visa, insurance, NHS fees, flights, etc) would be their responsibility and is not covered by this award.</li> </ul>

<p>To apply for this project you will need to make a formal application for research degree study through the <a href="https://prod.banner.leeds.ac.uk/ssb/bwskalog_uol.P_DispLoginNon">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 2026/2027 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 Chemistry Full-time’.</li> <li>The project start date for this project is 01/10/2026, 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 <strong>Designed Protein Assemblies</strong> as well as <strong>Michael Webb</strong> as your proposed supervisor.</li> </ul> <p>More information on how to apply is available on our <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-applying/doc/applying-research-degrees">website</a>.</p> <p><strong>Supporting statement</strong></p> <p>Alongside your application, 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 and will be asked to describe this at interview if short-listed. You should submit this as an attachment with your online application. </p> <p> </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. 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. Applicants who are uncertain about the requirements for a particular research degree are advised to contact the admissions team or supervisor before making an application.

The minimum English language entry requirement for research postgraduate research study in the School of Chemistry 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 Designed Protein Assemblies, at the School of Chemistry, University of Leeds for one UK fee status candidate. The funding covers UK tuition fees as well as a UKRI matched maintenance stipend (currently £21,805 in 2026/27) per year, for three and a half years, subject to satisfactory progress.</p> <p><strong>Eligibility Criteria</strong></p> <ul> <li>Applicants must be eligible to pay fees at the Home (UK) rate.</li> </ul> <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 admissions team <a href="mailto:phd@engineering.leeds.ac.uk">phd@engineering.leeds.ac.uk</a> or Professor Michael Webb <a href="mailto: M.E.Webb@leeds.ac.uk"> M.E.Webb@leeds.ac.uk</a></p>