AI-guided optimisation of antifreeze proteins

Antifreeze proteins are an important class of protein which prevents ice formation by interacting with seed ice crystals. They have been used in ice cream to suppress refreezing and maintain an uniform texture. They have also been used in crop protection during cold snaps. Most importantly, they have been hypothesised to be able to significantly extend the viable lifetime of organs in organ transplants, leading to much wider pool of organs at wider geographical locations being available to those in need. Unfortunately, all known natural antifreeze proteins are not effective enough to achieve this.<br /> <br /> Their mechanism of suppressing ice formation is not well understood, with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains being responsible for ice-binding. Research in Nguyen and Munro groups had led to AI models which can predict ice-binding domains in proteins, and exciting insights into how the proteins interact with and melt ice crystals. In this project, the student will employ state-of-the-arts molecular modelling techniques to run simulations on this important process. The study will be expanded to include all five classes of antifreeze proteins, and the findings will be used in follow-up study to design better, more efficient antifreeze proteins which can transform organ transplants.<br /> <br /> The student will be trained in AI models and molecular modelling, and will work in an interdisciplinary environment with both computational and practical chemists. They will be part of the iPRD, with collaborative links with industrial partners in both healthcare and chemical manufacturing.<br />

<p><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> <p>•    For <strong>‘Appli</strong><strong>cation type’</strong> please select <strong>‘Research Degrees – Research Postgraduate’</strong>. <br /> •    The <strong>admission year</strong> for this project is <strong>2027/28 Academic Year</strong>. <br /> •    You will need to select your <strong>‘Planned Course of Study’</strong> from a drop-down menu. For this project, scroll down and select ‘<strong>PhD Chemistry FT</strong>’. <br /> •    The <strong>project start date</strong> for this project is<strong> </strong>from<strong> 1 October 2027</strong>, please use this as your <strong>Proposed Start Date of Research</strong>. <br /> •    Please state clearly in the research information section that the research degree you wish to be considered for is <strong>AI-guided optimisation of antifreeze proteins</strong> as well as <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/chemistry/staff/4205/prof-bao-nguyen">Professor Bao Nguyen</a><strong> </strong>as your proposed supervisor.</p> <p><strong>Important: You are required to submit a separate application for the CSC-UoL Scholarship, in addition to your academic application.</strong></p> <p>We will assess applications continuously as we receive them. We welcome and strongly encourage any potential applicants to contact the supervisor(s) for an informal discussion, prior to applying, and recommend submitting your application early. </p> <p><strong>Please note that you must provide the following documents in support of your application at the point you submit your application or by no later than Wednesday 6 January 2027:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Full transcripts of all degree study or if in final year of study, full transcripts to date including grading scheme</li> <li>CV</li> <li>A personal statement outlining your interest in the project, why you have chosen it and how your skills map onto the requirements of the project.</li> <li>If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence that you meet the University's minimum English language requirements (below).</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>

Applicants must normally hold a First Degree at undergraduate level equivalent to at least a UK First Class Honours degree and should be considered to be the 'best of the best' (e.g. successful applicants are likely to be in the top 5% of their MSc/MA and BSc/BA cohorts and already in receipt of prizes at national or international level). Applicants should either have graduated with the appropriate First Degree or be in their final year of study.<br /> <br /> To meet the First Class Degree equivalence, we require between 85% to 95% depending on the Chinese degree awarding institution. Please contact the Postgraduate Research Admissions team to check (contact details can be found below).

The minimum English language entry requirement for research postgraduate research study 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. Some schools and faculties have a higher requirement.<br /> <br /> Applicants whose first language is not English must have already met the University's English Language requirements by Wednesday 6 January 2027.

<p><meta content="text/html; charset=us-ascii" http-equiv="Content-Type" /> <style type="text/css">a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } </style> </p> <p>This project is offered as part of the <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/472-china-scholarship-council-university-of-leeds-scholarships-2027">China Scholarship Council-University of Leeds Scholarship 2027</a> (CSC-UoL) competition. The University of Leeds will cover full academic fees for 3 years and the China Scholarship Council (CSC) will cover maintenance, flight and visa costs. You must secure both the Leeds Fee and CSC Scholarship in order to take up the scholarship. </p> <p><strong>Competition funded  </strong></p> <ul> <li>"Competition funded" means that we advertise a larger number of projects or consider multiple applicant-led research proposals than available awards. Not all projects advertised and research proposals for this funding opportunity will receive funding. The selection panel will consider all applications received across the full range of advertised projects and proposals and select the awardee/s based on the strength of their application. </li> </ul> <p><strong>Eligibility Criteria </strong></p> <ul> <li>Applicants must be eligible to pay fees at the International Fee rate.</li> </ul> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /> <strong>Other Conditions</strong></p> <ul> <li class="MsoNoSpacing">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>Awards must be taken up by 1st October 2027.</li> <li>Applicants must live within a reasonable distance of the University of Leeds whilst in receipt of this scholarship.</li> </ul>

<p>For further information about this project, please contact Prof. Bao Nguyen by emailing <a href="mailto:EMAIL@leeds.ac.uk">b.nguyen@leeds.ac.uk</a> or calling: +44 (0)113 343 0109.</p> <p>For further information about your application, including how to apply, please contact PGR Admissions by email to <a href="mailto:phd@engineering.leeds.ac.uk">phd@engineering.leeds.ac.uk</a></p>