Department of Chemistry
Location:  Guildford
Salary:  £19,919
Post Type:  Full Time
Closing Date:  Sunday 17 August 2014
Interview Date:  To be confirmed
Reference:  051414

Applications are invited for a 3-year PhD studentship at the Department of Chemistry (University of Surrey) in Polymer Synthesis for Nanomedicine and Drug Delivery. The studentship is fully funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and will be carried out under the supervision of Dr Gabriel Cavalli and co-supervised by Dr Nick Plant (Department of Biochemistry, University of Surrey). We expect the successful candidate will commence on the 1st October 2014 or 1st January 2015.

The funding will pay full stipend and tuition fees. The initial stipend is £19,919 for 2014/15 with rises anticipated in future years.

The project: Polymer nanomedicines have the potential to revolutionise therapy by disentangling drug function from bioavailability, pharmacokinetics and targeting, as these properties can be exerted by different structural moieties attached to a multifunctional polymeric platform, compared to small-molecule drugs. Although these systems have been extensively applied to cancer, there are only a handful of examples of their application to cardiovascular disease (CVD) worldwide. Our group is pioneering this approach in CVD in the UK.

This proposal builds upon our established expertise in nanotherapeutics for CVD (Links: http://www.bhf.org.uk/research/research-were-funding-now/our-nanotechnology-project.aspx   and http://www.surrey.ac.uk/features/dr-gabriel-cavalli-named-feps-researcher-year ), training a multidisciplinary scientist in the necessary set of skills to bridge drug discovery and development of nanomedicines from compound synthesis to in-vitro testing. This proposal will develop novel nanotherapeutics to lower cholesterol from serum. In patients at risk of cardiovascular episodes (e.g. stroke or heart attack) or excluded from traditional cholesterol lowering therapies, this approach may become the only strategy available to significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. Our current polymer platform is based on block copolymers micelles and vesicles of FDA-approved systems. In this project, we will develop novel polymer nanoassemblies and nano-objects for drug delivery. In addition to advanced polymer synthesis, this project will oversee the conjugation of these novel nanoobjects to therapeutic proteins via an enzymatic, site-specific conjugation method optimised in our group (For information on the use of our Sortase A-mediated bioconjugation approach, see Chan L., Cross H.F., She J.K., Cavalli G., Martins H.F.P. and Neylon C., PLOS-One, 2007, 2, e1164  and Piluso S., Cassell H.C., Gibbons J.L., Waller T.E., Plant N.J., Miller A.F. and Cavalli G., Soft Matter, 2013, 9, 6752).

The training: The candidate will receive training in advanced polymer synthesis and bioconjugation, polymer characterisation, spectroscopy, electron microscopy, AFM, protein expression and purification. The candidate will give presentations and discuss her/his results with peers and collaborators from a variety of audiences (medics, biochemists, physical scientists, industrial sponsors) and will present his/her work at an international conference.

An ideal candidate will have a first-class degree in Chemistry (or equivalent), should enjoy working in a synthesis lab within a multidisciplinary setting, preferably with some background in polymer synthesis (controlled radical polymerisations, RAFT), although training will be provided. An excellent grasp and a keen interest in synthesis and air-sensitive preparation techniques (e.g. Schlenk line) are essential as is a willingness to learn. The successful candidate will show a keen interest in the area and the ability to think on the spot at the interview stage.

Informal enquiries should be directed to Dr Gabriel Cavalli (email: g.cavalli@surrey.ac.uk or by phone: +44 (0) 1483 686837). Applicants should send a full CV, including the names and contact details of two academic referees, and a cover letter outlining motivation and suitability for this project by email to Dr Gabriel Cavalli (g.cavalli@surrey.ac.uk ). Please state “Application for the PhD in Polymer Synthesis” in the email subject. The application deadline is 17th August 2014 at midnight. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview including a short presentation of a research project in which the candidates have been recently involved (e.g. a final year first degree or masters project).

Due to funding constraints we can only consider applications from candidates from the EEA (European Economic Area, https://www.gov.uk/eu-eea ) and who are eligible for tuition fees at home rate according to UK regulations (http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/International-Students/Fees--finance/Home-or-Overseas-fees/England-Higher-Education/ ). Applications from candidates who do not meet these requirements will not be considered. Applicants whose first language is not English (or who have not studied a previous degree in English) will be required an IELTS 6.5 or above (http://www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/chemistry-phd ).