PhD Studentship - Next-Generation Fluorescent Carbon Dots for Real-Time Bioprocess Monitoring

Research theme: Nano and Functional Materials

How to apply: uom.link/pgr-apply-2425

This 3.5-year PhD studentship is open to Home (UK) applicants. The successful candidate will receive an annual tax-free stipend set at the UKRI rate (£20,780 for 2025/26; subject to annual uplift), and tuition fees will be paid. We expect the stipend to increase each year. EU students with settled or pre-settled status and international student can apply but their application eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The start date is October 2026.

We recommend that you apply early as the advert may be removed before the deadline.

Hypothesis: We hypothesize that a tailored library of wavelength-tuned, biocompatible carbon dots (C-dots) can serve as multifunctional fluorescent probes for pharmaceutical bioprocessing and biomedical applications. Due to their high chemical stability, bright and tunable fluorescence, water solubility, and facile, green synthesis from renewable precursors, C-dots offer a promising platform for:

• In-line biosensing of key bioprocess variables (e.g., pH, reactive oxygen species, redox potential, ion concentrations), and
• Intracellular imaging and tracking of therapeutic cells or biomolecular cargo, and

We further propose that by understanding and tuning the fluorescence mechanisms of C-dots, we can develop reliable nanosensors for real-time bioanalytical readouts. In particular, C-dots can be engineered to sensitively detect intracellular pH fluctuations, which are critical in cellular health and disease, and extended to other analytes relevant for both environmental monitoring and in vivo/vitro diagnostics.

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master’s (or international equivalent) in Chemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, Physics or related discipline.

To apply, please contact the main supervisor, Dr Dumanli-Parry - ahugumrah.parry@manchester.ac.uk. Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.

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