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School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
  1. School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
  2. Chemistry
  3. PhD/Research
  4. PhD Projects
  5. Life-like synthetic cells: polymer vesicles that grow, interact and evolve new functions

Life-like synthetic cells: polymer vesicles that grow, interact and evolve new functions

Research Group: Department of Chemistry
Number of Students: 1
Length of Study in Years: 4
Full-time Project: yes

Funding

  •  Funding is provided via the China Scholarship Council.  
  • Available to Chinese applicants only.
  • Applicant required to start in September 2027.
  • The studentship arrangement will cover overseas tuition fees for the duration of the studentship.

Project Description

Living cells are dynamic: they take up material from their surroundings, grow, communicate with their neighbours and acquire new functions as conditions change. Recreating these behaviours from synthetic building blocks is one of the most exciting challenges at the interface of chemistry, materials science and biology. Such "synthetic cells" help us understand the principles of life and could lead to new technologies, from smart therapeutics that sense and respond to their environment to programmable microreactors for sustainable chemical production. Our group builds synthetic cells from polymersomes,  hollow compartments whose membranes are made from designer polymers rather than lipids, which can host enzymes and be switched on and off with light. Building on our recent results, this project will explore how communities of synthetic cells can be programmed to grow, exchange material and evolve new capabilities over time, bringing synthetic systems a step closer to the behaviour of living cells.

The project is highly interdisciplinary and offers broad, hands-on training. The student will design and synthesise functional polymers using modern controlled polymerisation methods, assemble them into synthetic cells, equip them with enzymes and stimuli-responsive components, and study their behaviour using fluorescence spectroscopy, confocal and electron microscopy and flow cytometry. There will also be opportunities to complement experiments with molecular simulations through our collaborators. Full training will be provided, so prior experience with synthetic cells or biology is not required, and the exact direction of the project will be shaped together with the student according to their interests. Alongside these technical skills, the student will develop expertise in experimental design, data analysis, scientific writing and presentation, and will be encouraged to publish in leading journals and present at international conferences. This skill set is highly valued in academia and in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and advanced materials industries.

The student will be based in the Department of Chemistry, part of the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary University of London, a Russell Group university with a diverse, international community on its Mile End campus in East London. The School brings together chemistry and physics research and offers access to excellent shared facilities, including 600 MHz NMR, mass spectrometry, cryo-electron microscopy and high-performance computing. Through the Doctoral College, PhD students receive research and transferable-skills training at no extra cost, including cohort training in academic networking, public engagement and careers, while the Queen Mary Academy provides training for those who wish to gain teaching experience. Our group collaborates with researchers across Queen Mary and at Imperial College London and the University of Oxford, and London itself offers an exceptional concentration of universities, research institutes and biotechnology companies.

Relevant publications

  • Lathan, U. et al. Wavelength-dependent feedback behavior in light-gated polymersome nanoreactors. Nature Communications 17, 8742 (2026).
  • Rifaie-Graham, O. et al. Photoswitchable gating of non-equilibrium enzymatic feedback in chemically communicating polymersome nanoreactors. Nature Chemistry 15, 110–118 (2023).

 

Requirements

Essential requirements

  • Laboratory research experience, for example a final-year or Master's research project, ideally in synthetic, polymer or materials chemistry.
  • A strong interest in working at the interface of chemistry, materials science and biology, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
  • A valid English language certificate equivalent to IELTS 6.5 overall, with at least 6.0 in each component, at the time of application.

Desirable

  • Experience in one or more of: polymer synthesis (e.g. RAFT polymerisation), self-assembly or colloid characterisation, fluorescence spectroscopy or microscopy, or working with enzymes.

SPCS Academics: Dr Omar Rifaie Graham

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