PhD Studentship in Polymer Chemistry: Design and Synthesis of Novel Polymers for the Additive Manufacturing of Biomedical Devices

Supervisors: Professor Wayne Hayes and Dr James Cooper   

Project Overview: This University of Reading funded studentship targets the discovery of dynamic biocompatible supramolecular polymer networks for deposition via additive manufacturing techniques to create new biomedical devices. The project will provide excellent training in the field of polymeric materials – it will involve organic and polymer synthesis, characterisation of the new materials (using techniques such as NMR, IR, UV spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and thermal analysis (DSC, TGA) in the University’s Chemical Analysis Facility) plus GPC analysis (available in the Hayes group research laboratory) in addition to physical assessment of the polymeric materials via rheology and tensiometry (these instruments are available in the Hayes research laboratory). The project will involve collaboration with research groups from the Centre for Additive Manufacturing and the School of Pharmacy at the University of Nottingham to study the 3D printing of the novel supramolecular polymers[1,2] and their biocompatibility. In addition to gaining invaluable scientific technical skills, this project will also develop the ability of the postgraduate student to conduct independent research by providing training on the use of databases (such as Web of Knowledge, Scifinder Scholar, Reaxsys), presentation skills and writing reports. By the end of the PhD training, the student will be able to design and execute reactions, interpret complex analytical datasets, and summarise this information in a variety of formats (such as in presentations at group meetings or international conferences or in peer-reviewed publications). 

For background information on this project, see:

[1] 3D Printing of Biocompatible Supramolecular Polymers and their Composites, L R Hart, S Li, C Sturgess, R Wildman, J R Jones and W Hayes, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 2016, 8, 3115–3122.

[2] A 3D Printed Drug Delivery Implant formed from a Dynamic Supramolecular Polyurethane Formulation, S Salimi, Y Wu, M I Evangelista Barreiros, A A Natfji, S Khaled, R Wildman, L R Hart, F Greco, E A Clark, C J Roberts, W Hayes, Polym. Chem., 2020, 2020,11, 3453-3464.

Eligibility: 

• Applicants should hold or expect to gain a minimum of a 2:1 bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Chemistry or Chemistry-related subject
• Due to the nature of the funding this studentship is open to UK/Republic of Ireland applicants only.

Funding Details:   

• Starts 1^st March 2026
• 3-year award
• Funding covers full tuition fees plus UKRI stipend (£20,780 for 2025/26)

How to apply:  

Please apply via the above 'Apply' button. Create your account and use the link sent by email to start the application process. During the application process please select PhD in Chemistry.

*Important notes*

1. Please quote the reference ‘DRC25-140’ in the ‘Scholarships applied for’ box which appears within the Funding Section of your on-line application.
2. When you are prompted by the online application system to upload a research proposal, please omit this step as the project is already defined.

Application Deadline:  28^th February 2026

Further Enquiries:  

For further details please contact Professor Wayne Hayes, w.c.hayes@reading.ac.uk

Please note that, where a candidate is successful in being awarded funding, this will be confirmed via a formal studentship award letter; this will be provided separately from any Offer of Admission and will be subject to standard checks for eligibility and other criteria. 

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