PhD Studentship: Nanophotonic Biosensors for Early-Stage Cancer Detection

Join the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Birmingham to participate in groundbreaking PhD research on photonic systems that detect early-stage cancers!

Are you passionate about making a real difference to peoples’ lives? Do you dream about developing the nucleic acid sensing technologies of tomorrow? If so, this collaborative PhD project is the opportunity for you!

We are seeking highly motivated and talented individuals to join our collaborative team as a PhD student. The aim of this research is to develop compact photonics devices for detecting tumour-derived nucleic acids in liquid samples. Such sensors have the potential to revolutionise medicine by eliminating the need for clinical testing labs and enabling diagnosis in minutes rather than weeks. Such an advance would provide earlier diagnosis, more treatment options, save the NHS money, and help to relieve patient burden. We hypothesise that combining the latest advances in photonics, supramolecular chemistry, genomics, and nanomaterials will provide this step-change in diagnosis protocols. This research project is, therefore, a unique opportunity to not only develop a radically new deep-tech solution to cancer diagnosis, but also work with the Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences as part of in an interdisciplinary team to make a real-world difference.

What You Will Do:

• Design, develop, and prototype nucleic acid sensors and sensing systems.
• Conduct research that aims to improve the accuracy, sensitivity, and the efficiency of testing for cancer.
• Collaborate with a team of world-class researchers from the Schools of Engineering, Biology, Chemistry, and Medicine.
• Present your findings in leading journals and at international conferences.

We are offering:

• A fully funded EPSRC scholarship (for eligible UK students).
• The opportunity to work with state-of-the-art facilities.
• Mentorship from leading academics across the University.

Who We Are Looking For:

• Candidates with strong backgrounds in either physics, engineering, biology, chemistry, medicine, or materials.
• Individuals who are innovative, driven, and have a passion for research.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently.
• An interdisciplinary and collaborative attitude (you will be working with engineers and scientists from Biology, Chemistry, and the Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences)

If you are ready to take on this challenge and make a difference to tomorrow’s world, please contact Dr Robert E Simpson (r.e.simpson.1@bham.ac.uk).

Funding notes:

We have a guaranteed EPSRC scholarship for UK students. Details of scholarships for international students can be found at https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/funding/postgraduate/index.aspx

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