GREEN Biofuels: Engineering cyanobacterial CO2 sensing for enhanced biofuel yields

This project will use new insights into carbon dioxide sensing to engineer photosynthetic bacteria with enhanced biofuel yields for sustainable industry.

Global carbon dioxide fixation by cyanobacteria, approximately 2½ billion years ago, generated the atmospheric oxygen that permitted the evolution of multicellular organisms. Contemporary cyanobacteria have potential use in biofuel production. They are desirable biofuel feedstocks due to their growth on non-agricultural and marginal lands and their ability to thrive in brackish and marine waters. However, although their theoretical maximum energy conversion efficiency is estimated as 8-10%, the best-sustained efficiencies reported are 1-2%.

The project will use biochemistry, genetics, microbiology and spectroscopy tools to engineer cyanobacteria with enhanced photosynthetic efficiency for increased biofuel yields (see Figure).

The project has three phases:

1. Investigate the influence of carbon dioxide on light-harvesting and carbon-utilising proteins in the test tube.

2. Investigate the impact of carbon dioxide on light-harvesting and carbon-utilising proteins in organelles, macromolecular structures, and whole organisms.

3. Investigate bio-fuel yield in producing strains with engineered light-harvesting and carbon-utilisation.

This multi-disciplinary PhD will provide training in microbiology, mass spectrometry, molecular biology, analytical techniques of physical chemistry, proteomics and spectroscopy. No prior training in these areas is required. Training in these diverse disciplines will be provided in the laboratories of the project supervisors. The successful student will complete the Ph.D. with a broad interdisciplinary skill set valuable to academia and industry.

References

Please see these references for examples of the supervisor’s work in this area.

Guillen-Garcia et al. (2022) Allophycocyanin A is a carbon dioxide receptor in the cyanobacterial phycobilisome. Nature Communications. 13: 5289 doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-32925-6.

Linthwaite et al. (2018) The identification of carbon dioxide mediated protein post-translational modifications. Nature Communications 9:3092 | DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05475-z

Durham University is a QS world top 100 university, and the Department of Biosciences is nationally leading (2025 rankings: Guardian 4th, Complete University Guide 5th, Good University Guide 6th). The project will benefit from world-class facilities associated with core Biosciences research laboratories embedded into an interdisciplinary environment in the Department of Chemistry.

Entry requirements:

Minimum 2:1 class in a Biological Sciences or related degree

Funding

Funding is available for 4 years to UK applicants for ‘home student’ tuition fees, UKRI-aligned stipend, approved host University fees and a research budget.

The project will commence in October 2025. For further information, please contact the primary supervisor, Martin Cann (m.j.cann@durham.ac.uk)

How to apply

Candidates wishing to apply for the studentship must apply directly to this E-mail address m.j.cann@durham.ac.uk by 2nd December 2024 by sending a Current CV (maximum 2 pages – this needs to include qualifications & two references) and a 500 word personal statement. Name all the documents with your ‘Name and Type of Form’ e.g., Joe Bloggs CV, Joe Bloggs Personal Statement.