PhD Studentship in Controlled Metal-ion Assembly Using Modified Nucleic Acids: Towards Designer Materials

Postgraduate Opportunities

Newcastle University

Reference code: CY030
Closing date: 1 August 2016
Supervisors:
Professor Andrew Houlton, Dr Ben Horrocks and Professor Nick Wright
Sponsor: School of Chemistry and School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Start date & duration of the award: 26 September 2016 for 3 years
Person Specification
To qualify, you must have a real passion for research and have, or expect to receive, a good Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemistry.
Synthetic expertise, creativity and problem solving skills are essential.
If your first language is not English, you need an overall IELTS score of 6.0
Project Description
For a variety of reasons, DNA-based routes are increasingly explored as an approach to the synthesis of novel materials.[1-4] Despite this, DNA itself does not exhibit the physical properties required for many technological applications e.g. electrical conductance, so these must be introduced by other means. Approaches to this include DNA assembly of pre-synthesised nanoparticles,[5] or exploiting the inherent shape and chemical functionalities of DNA to template material growth directly. In our work we have formed metals, inorganics and conducting polymers as 1D structures exploiting this method.[6-7]
In the project it is planned to explore the possibilities for preparing alternative types of metal-based materials, particularly gels and clusters, using DNA and its components. The former have potential use as soft interfaces for bio-electronic applications, while the latter are of interest for fundamental studies on metal structures as well as for their use as luminescent probes and catalysts. Particular focus will be to seek systems capable of assembling metal ions into arrangements that allow inter-metallic interactions.
References [1] Adv. Phys., 2004, 53, 441-496. [2] Ann. Rev. Biochem., 2010, 79, 65-87. [3] Phys. World, 2003, 16, 43. [4] Mater. Today, 2009, 12, 24. [5] Nature, 2000, 405, 626-627. [6] Ann. Rep. Prog. Chem. Sect. A, 2011. 107, 1. [7] J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2014. 136, 6649; Science, 2014, 334, 558.
For further information please click here.

Funding information

Funding applies to:

Open to applicants from a range of countries

Funding notes:

100% tuition fees paid at the UK/EU rate and an annual stipend at Research Council UK rate (£14,296 2016/17). Successful non-EU international students will be required to make up the difference between the UK/EU fees and international fees.

Contacts and how to apply

Academic contact:

For further details, please contact andrew.houlton@ncl.ac.uk

Administrative contact and how to apply:

You must apply through the University’s online postgraduate application form. Only mandatory fields need to be completed however, you will need to include the following
- insert the programme code: 8100F in the programme of study section
- select ‘PhD School of Chemistry (full time), Chemistry’ as the programme of study
- insert the studentship code CY030 in the studentship/partnership reference field
- attach a covering letter, CV and (if English is not your first language) a copy of your English language qualifications. The covering letter must state the title of the studentship, and state how your interests and experience relate to the project. No personal statement is required.

Application deadline:

1 August 2016