PhD Studentship: Clean and safe: Developing antimicrobial formulations for food preservation and hygiene

Primary Supervisor: Dr. Yan Fen Lee(opens in a new window)

Foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes can be present in up to 12% of raw fish, posing serious food safety risks, including listeriosis, which can be life-threatening if left untreated. Listeria is particularly difficult to control because it can grow at refrigeration temperatures and form biofilms that persist on equipment and surfaces in food processing plants, protecting it from desiccation, heat, and standard cleaning and disinfection agents.

This exciting PhD project aims to design and optimize a commercial product to reduce microbial contamination in the seafood industry. Supervised by Dr Yan Fen Lee (UEA) and Dr Matthew Gilmour (Quadram Institute), you will use natural, food-safe ingredients to formulate a multipurpose antimicrobial disinfectant for use within seafood processing plants to control Listeria and other microbes. You will also incorporate the disinfectant into ice blocks/flakes to control microbial growth during shipping and storage. The project will make a significant real-world contribution towards minimising seafood spoilage, food safety risks and expensive wastage, and supporting a more sustainable and resilient seafood industry.

You will have opportunities to train and work in different research laboratories at UEA and the Quadram Institute, and will gain practical experience and highly transferable skills in areas such as microbiology, formulation science, antimicrobial resistance, and genome sequencing. There will also be opportunities to gain experience in the commercial aspects of research translation at Norwich Research Park. Training in scientific writing, communication, and career development will be supported through local and international conferences, seminars, group research discussions, and institutional training programmes.

Motivated, self-starting candidates with a background in (micro)biology, applied chemistry or a related discipline are welcome to contact Dr Yan Fen Lee (yan-fen.lee@uea.ac.uk) for more information.

Entry Requirements

A 2:1 Bachelor's degree in Biological sciences, microbiology, chemistry, biotechnology, biochemistry, or food science.

Mode of Study

Full time

Start Date

1 October 2027

Additional Funding Information

This PhD project is in a competition for a Faculty of Science funded studentship. Funding is available to UK applicants and comprises ‘home’ tuition fees and an annual stipend for 3 years. The current UEA / institutional PhD stipend rate is £21,805 and will be subject to any agreed inflationary uplift for 2027/28.

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