*1. Modelling Mechanics of Bacterial cell wall formation: * www.findaphd.com/phds/project/biophysical-modelling-of-bacterial-cell-wall-architectures/?p102741
You would be developing statistical mechanical models of polymer networks, gels and membranes to study bacterial cell wall formation. The project involves working on applying techniques in Euclidean field theory, differential geometry, and continuum mechanics and performing analytical calculations, as well as computer simulations. The use of machine learning will be implemented later in the project.
The theoretical results will be tested against experimental data in the Hobb’s lab (www.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/people/academic/jamie-hobbs) under the IMAGINE project (www.imagine-imaginglife.com)
This is a challenging project with the long term aim of developing strategies to counter antimicrobial resistance, and will be carried out in collaboration with biochemists, microbiologists, and clinicians.
The project is open to UK/EEA students only.
2. Understanding small molecule migration in networks and gels: Sustainable coatings via rational design. A PhD studentship is open to work in the generic area of transport of small molecules through networks and gels and under SuSCORD partnership ( gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/S004963/1)
The statistical theory of transport in polymer networks and gels, which are examples of mesoscale porous structures holds many challenges, including the connections between structures across length scales, their associated mechanics, and role of thermal fluctuations.

An important “real life” problem where all these concepts come together is metal corrosion and transport of small molecules through polymer barrier films applied to coatings. Despite a significant body of experimental research there is currently no reliable theoretical/computational model that can predict the performance of coatings in inhibiting corrosion.

The challenge in this PhD project is to develop appropriate realistic models that efficiently connect phenomena at different length-scales synergistically with experiments to quantitatively predict the overall coating performance.

Mesoscopic modelling using polymer theory (UoS – PhD) – The main objectives of your PhD will be to:
(i) Develop microscopic models of random networks and develop effective coarse-graining procedures to arrive at effective free energy functionals for such systems.
(ii) Use the free energy functional and statistical mechanical techniques rooted in mean field theory and self-consistent field theory (SCFT) to understand molecular transport through mesoscopic porous structures.
(iii) Develop coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to understand the role of network structure, mechanical properties, and thermal fluctuations on transport of small molecules.
(iv) Use the results to inform a mesoscale model of effective transport through porous media and match the results against experimental data.
(v) Since the models developed are general we will extend them to understand properties of random networks maintained far from equilibrium that has bearing on biological systems.
The project will involve working as part of a multidisciplinary team, interacting with both experimentalists and theory experts, in the Physics Department, our colleagues and collaborators in Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering in Sheffield; and also the School of Materials at the University of Manchester and our industrial sponsor Akzo-Nobel.

The project is open to UK/EEA students only.