PhD Studentship: Joint Industrial and EPSRC-funded PhD studentship in the Synthesis and Processing of Novel Biomaterials, in partnership with Haleon ENG271

Joint Industrial and EPSRC-funded PhD studentship in the Synthesis and Processing of Novel Biomaterials, in partnership with Haleon

Applications are invited for a PhD Studentship, with an October 2025 start, hosted at the University of Nottingham within the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and School of Pharmacy. The project will focus on the synthesis of polymers that resist the formation of biofilms and the development of processes to formulate / process them into new health/consumer care products e.g. oral/skin health products. The project will focus upon extending UoN patented polymer technologies, that deliver their anti-attachment performance without the use of actives that kill. Hence, they will not contribute to the increase in Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR). The project will have a key focus on exploiting and developing chemistry to obtain materials at the hundreds of gram scale. because it will allow transfer of these new biomaterials into formulation processing to created novel demonstrator health/consumer care products. 

The project will be conducted in close collaboration with an industrial partner, Haleon, who are a world-leading manufacturer of consumer health products. This project is part of strategy to deliver better everyday health for humanity. As such, it will provide a range of experiences in synthesis of polymeric molecules, development of routes towards a larger-scale processing and for industrial collaboration in development of formulations with Haleon to translate the work into products that deliver care. There will be the possibility of research placements of up to a month in the partner institution’s laboratories.

Supervisory Team: Prof. Derek Irvine, Dr Adam Dundas, Prof. Morgan Alexander

Funding notes: The studentships are fully funded for 42 months. An enhanced stipend is available at £22,237 per annum and tuition fees will be paid at the UK rate. International students must pay the difference between UK and international fees. 

Entry requirements: Applicants should have, or expected to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent if from other countries) in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or a related subject. An MChem/MSci-4-year integrated Masters, a BSc + MSc or a BSc with substantial research experience will be highly advantageous. Experience in organic/polymer synthesis and/or material analysis will also be beneficial. EU applicants who can confirm residency in the UK for at least three years before October 2025, you may also be eligible for a full award.

If English is not the candidate’s first language, they must provide evidence before the beginning of the studentship that they meet the University minimum English Language requirements (IELTS 6.0 with at least 5.5 in each element).

Closing Date: July 31^st, 2025 and the positions will be filled as soon as possible thereafter; hence you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

To apply, students should contact: informally with  derek.irvine@nottingham.ac.uk, adam.dundas1@nottingham.ac.uk after which a formal application must be made via the University web site at To apply, please complete the online application form available at www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/how-to-apply/how-to-apply.aspx including your CV and quoting “Haleon Studentship” in the personal statement section.

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