Fully Funded Studentship in Plastivore Plasticity - Uxbridge, United Kingdom - Brunel University

Brunel University

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Uxbridge, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

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Tom O´Connor

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Description

College of Health Medicine and Life Sciences

Fully funded studentship in

Plastivore Plasticity:
characterising metabolic flexibility in an emerging biotechnological system to manage plastic waste

Project Description

Applications are invited from high-calibre and passionate students seeking to pursue an exciting career in analytical and environmental science research, with a focus to tackle a growing concern with respect to managing plastic waste.

Pollution is now considered an environmental emergency alongside biodiversity loss and climate change. There are many forms of pollution but it predominantly concerns the issue of chemical and plastic waste. In particular, plastic waste represents a very complex societal challenge; the benefits provided by plastics are indisputable but we have seen concerning impacts in the environment from the micro
- to macro-scale.

An emerging and ground-breaking biotechnological system involves the use of insect larvae to biodegrade plastics and has been observed for several species (Coleoptera and Lepidoptera), but focus has been given to, _Galleria mellonella_ (Greater Wax Moth) which recently was demonstrated to degrade plastics like polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) converting them to proteins, lipids and frass.

This biodegradation pathway could enable the re-use of by-products (e.g. breakdown of polymers into respective monomers) and provide a future solution to the plastic waste emergency.

However, whilst biodegradation has been observed, the use of plastic as a food source has limited understanding regarding the toxicological effects in these plastivore insects and the metabolic plasticity associated with a plastic-rich diet.

How does metabolic flexibility via plasticity and redundancy enable these insects to use plastics as a sole carbon source? The potential toxicity could influence the survival of these organisms to be used at scale and must be characterised if these insects are to become a viable solution to the plastic waste crisis.

Based in and funded by the College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, this studentship offers a full-time annual London rate stipend estimated at £21,237 (including London weighting) and Home/EU tuition fees, for a maximum of 36 months.

The Department of Life Sciences holds a Silver Athena SWAN Award and is committed to equality of opportunity and advancing women's careers.

The start date will be 1 October 2024.

Overview

Supervisory team

Dr Thomas Miller, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Toxicology, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London (London, UK).
Dr Ronan McCarthy, Reader in Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London (London, UK).
Dr Eleni Iacovidou, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Management, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London (London, UK).

Eligibility

How to Apply

An uptodate CV.
One example of your academic writing (e.g. an essay, a section from a dissertation).
Names and contact details for two academic referees.
A copy of your highest degree certificate and transcript.
A copy of your English language qualification, where applicable.