Back to search results

PhD Studentship - EPSRC Supported EngD: Reliable Edible Collagen Film Processing

University of Birmingham - School of Chemical Engineering

Qualification Type: PhD
Location: Birmingham
Funding for: UK Students, EU Students
Funding amount: £23,400 Tax free bursary p.a. plus tuition fees paid
Hours: Full Time
Placed On: 26th January 2023
Closes: 24th February 2023

Collagens are some of the most naturally abundant proteins and have been used for many years as edible films and coatings providing unique sensory properties where they are used. Devro plc, industry partner of this Engineering Doctorate project, has a long history of manufacturing a variety of food products but is best known for sausage casings where it is arguably the global market leader. This project will look to develop areas of better understanding within the collagen film markets but will feed into other applications of interest to Devro where the candidate will have significant influence in future developments and successes.

Collagen casings and films are produced in a semi-continuous process starting with the extraction from biological source to being collected on huge reels holding kilometres of endless tubular edible film or flat film. Whilst Devro is a world leader in films and casings, it also has food science and engineering at its core and continually looks to improve, optimise, and innovate.

This Engineering Doctorate will focus on the gel stage of the collagen casing process, between extraction and film extrusion. At this stage, the collagen, in aqueous dispersion, is conditioned through controlling ionic strength, pH, mixing, undergoing heating/cooling cycles, etc, and further ingredients are added to form the gel system for extrusion. The interplay between the conditioning factors controls the quality of the gel system, which in turn is linked to end product quality. The Doctorate Student will interrogate the existing process, characterise the material properties of the gel system and generate a deep understanding of the structure-property-processing interactions of the gel manufacturing system. The learnings will contribute to leaner manufacturing processes, reduce environmental footprint, and grow market share for a clean label product.

This industrial-academia research project will be based at Devro plc, a global leader in the market of edible films. Devro was founded as a new business of Johnson & Johnson in the 1950’s following the research and development of collagen casings. Devro is multinational, having manufacturing sites in the UK, US, Netherlands, China, Czech Republic, and Australia. The majority of its research and development is based in Moodiesburn, just outside Glasgow. However, the student would be encouraged and expected to visit a number of Devro global manufacturing sites during the course of the programme.

To be eligible for EPSRC funding candidates must have at least a 2(1) in an Engineering or Scientific discipline or a 2(2) plus MSc. To apply please email your cv and a letter of motivation to cdt-formulation@contacts.bham.ac.uk. Currently we are only able to accept UK nationals

For details on the Engineering Doctorate scheme visit the homepage. Deadline: 24th Feb 2023 or earlier

We value your feedback on the quality of our adverts. If you have a comment to make about the overall quality of this advert, or its categorisation then please send us your feedback
Advert information

Type / Role:

Subject Area(s):

Location(s):

PhD tools
 

PhD Alert Created

Job Alert Created

Your PhD alert has been successfully created for this search.

Your job alert has been successfully created for this search.

Ok Ok

PhD Alert Created

Job Alert Created

Your PhD alert has been successfully created for this search.

Your job alert has been successfully created for this search.

Manage your job alerts Manage your job alerts

Account Verification Missing

In order to create multiple job alerts, you must first verify your email address to complete your account creation

Request verification email Request verification email

jobs.ac.uk Account Required

In order to create multiple alerts, you must create a jobs.ac.uk jobseeker account

Create Account Create Account

Alert Creation Failed

Unfortunately, your account is currently blocked. Please login to unblock your account.

Email Address Blocked

We received a delivery failure message when attempting to send you an email and therefore your email address has been blocked. You will not receive job alerts until your email address is unblocked. To do so, please choose from one of the two options below.

Max Alerts Reached

A maximum of 5 Job Alerts can be created against your account. Please remove an existing alert in order to create this new Job Alert

Manage your job alerts Manage your job alerts

Creation Failed

Unfortunately, your alert was not created at this time. Please try again.

Ok Ok

Create PhD Alert

Create Job Alert

When you create this PhD alert we will email you a selection of PhDs matching your criteria.When you create this job alert we will email you a selection of jobs matching your criteria. Our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy apply to this service. Any personal data you provide in setting up this alert is processed in accordance with our Privacy Notice

Create PhD Alert

Create Job Alert

When you create this PhD alert we will email you a selection of PhDs matching your criteria.When you create this job alert we will email you a selection of jobs matching your criteria. Our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy apply to this service. Any personal data you provide in setting up this alert is processed in accordance with our Privacy Notice

 
 
 
More PhDs from University of Birmingham

Show all PhDs for this organisation …

More PhDs like this
Join in and follow us

Browser Upgrade Recommended

jobs.ac.uk has been optimised for the latest browsers.

For the best user experience, we recommend viewing jobs.ac.uk on one of the following:

Google Chrome Firefox Microsoft Edge