Technology Enhanced Chemical Synthesis
- PhD
Overview
Based at the School of Chemistry, our alternative to the traditional PhD offers a unique training period designed to strengthen your research techniques and introduce new technologies and digital methods for Chemical Synthesis through lab rotations. You will benefit from developing a range of transferable skills (including presentation, teamwork and problem-solving) and broader professional skills to enhance your employability.
After successfully completing the training element, you will embark on a research project related to Chemical Synthesis. During this time, your scientific development will continue to be enhanced by entrepreneurship training and further professional and academic courses provided by our industrial partners. As a result, you will end your PhD as a well-rounded candidate for careers in both industry and academia.
We are seeking applications from students with interests covering the whole breadth of the synthetic chemistry spectrum. We encourage applications from students who would like to carry out research in areas including:
- Chemical synthesis of bioactive molecules
- Sustainable catalysis and biocatalysis
- Synthetic methodology and mechanism
- Computational modelling and analysis
- Experimental and theoretical photochemistry
- Synthetic organic electrochemistry
- Designer ligands for catalysis
- Biological chemistry and synthetic biology
- Inorganic and materials chemistry
- Supramolecular & systems chemistry
- Modern reactor technology: automation and high throughput experimentation
- Synthetic materials chemistry
- Spectroscopy: structure elucidation and reaction dynamics.
Applications are welcomed from students with or expecting to gain a first or upper-second class honours MSci/MChem (or equivalent).
This is one of the two CDTs hosted by the School of Chemistry offering training in a number of different disciplines.
Programme structure
At the start of the PhD programme, you will participate in an 8-month taught training period in Synthetic and Digital Chemistry. The training programme is designed to strengthen your research techniques and introduce new technologies for chemical synthesis.
The main goal of Synthetic and Digital Chemistry training is to enable you to make an informed choice of PhD project. You will develop research proposals during brainstorming sessions, and undertake short rotations in synthetic chemistry labs - contributing to the group’s research aims - before selecting your PhD project.
In addition, we provide training in automated and high throughput synthesis, computational methods for synthesis design and new reactor technologies, alongside research lectures by world-renowned academics, who are leaders in their fields.
You will also benefit from developing a range of transferable skills through a series of workshops, virtual lab experiments and a journal club.
A progression interview will be held in Spring, after which you will begin the process of selecting your PhD project area.
Having explored potential research projects in chemical synthesis during the brainstorming sessions, you will choose your preferred areas of research in May and will start working on your three-year PhD research project in June of the first year. Find out more about the PhD project areas.
Full details of the structure and unit content for the first year of this programme will be available in the unit and programme catalogue, subject to approval.
Entry requirements
An upper second-class honours MSci/MChem degree in chemistry, or international equivalent.
See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.
Go to admissions statementIf English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level F.
Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.
Fees and funding
- UK: full-time
- £4,758 per year
- Overseas: full-time
- £26,000 per year
Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support.
Bench fees
For postgraduate research students who are not funded by UK Research Councils or (specific) UK charities, it is usual to charge a bench fee. A bench fee covers the costs of laboratory consumables, specialist equipment and other relevant costs (such as training) for the duration of the programme. The bench fee charged can vary considerably depending on the nature of the programme being undertaken. Details of specific bench fee charges can be provided on request and will be made clear in the offer letter sent to applicants.
Alumni discount
University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.
Funding for 2024/25
We have a number of EPSRC and university funded studentships, which will be allocated to successful candidates (national and international).
Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.
Career prospects
This PhD programme has grown out of our previous Chemical Synthesis PhD. Graduates from this programme are currently working in a range of sectors, including further academic research, pharma, agro and biotech industries, patent law and teaching.
Meet our supervisors
The following list shows potential supervisors for this programme. Visit their profiles for details of their research and expertise.
Research groups
We cover the breadth of chemical synthesis and strongly encourage cross-disciplinary research projects. Our research activity is underpinned by the latest in synthetic chemistry technologies such as automated reaction optimisation, AI for synthesis design, data-driven discovery and predictive methods.
Research interests of our staff include:
- Medicinal chemistry
- Synthetic analogues
- Heterocyclic chemistry
- Supramolecular chemistry for recognition, transport and medicine
- Design of new peptide, protein and foldamer structures
- Molecular machines and out-of-equilibriuym systems
- Transition metal catalysis
- Synthesis and design of new ligands
- Photocatalysis and biocatalysis
- Carbohydrates in synthesis
- Organo-boron and organo-sulfur chemistry
- Photochemistry, electrochemistry and flow chemistry
- Natural product extraction and characterisation
- Total synthesis
- Isotopic labelling and biosynthetic pathways
- Ultra-fast spectroscopy for reaction dynamics.
We currently work closely with several companies in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors, including Astex, AstraZeneca, Bayer, GSK, Merck, MSD, Pfizer, Syngenta and Vertex.
Contact us
- Contact
CDT in Technology Enhanced Chemical Synthesis Programme Delivery Team
Krissy Stothard, Administration Manager
Dr Sbu Mbatha, Course Manager
- bcs-cdt@bristol.ac.uk
- Contact
- Professor Jonathan Clayden, CDT Director
- bcs-cdt@bristol.ac.uk