Award Summary

100% home fees covered, a minimum tax-free annual living allowance of £20,780 (2025/26 UKRI rate) and a per annum budget of £6,000 for consumables and conference attendance etc.

Overview

Fungal pathogens are underappreciated and overlooked threats that can cause life‑threatening diseases and major losses in food crops. Current antifungals (e.g. azoles) are non‑species‑specific inhibitors of fungal cell membrane biosynthesis and are used as both medicines and pesticides. Widespread use is driving resistance and increasing regulatory pressure.

Using the mRNA‑display platform established in the McAllister lab, this project aims to develop de novo cyclic peptides (novel modality) to target virulence factors (novel target) in key crop pathogenic fungi. Expression of the protein target is already established and, following mRNA-display selection, high‑throughput peptide synthesis will be used to prioritise hits using in vitro assays, biophysics (ITC, BLI, structural work) and established in planta fungal infection assays. Later focus could include sustainable synthesis scale up and potential progression towards field‑relevant studies.

The McAllister lab is part of the chemical biology group at Newcastle University, a diverse team of ~15 PhD students and PDRAs. We have weekly group meetings for scientific updates, monthly discussions on wider topics such as EDI and mental health as well as regular social activities (including an optional weekly cake rota).

This project is suited to candidates with a background in chemical biology, biochemistry or molecular biology with experience of working with peptides, proteins (e.g. enzyme assays or recombinant expression/purification), or DNA/RNA. None are essential, as training will be provided, but candidates should demonstrate expertise in at least one area.

Number Of Awards

1

Start Date

September 2026

Award Duration

4 years

Application Closing Date

15th June 2026

Sponsor

The Royal Society

Supervisors

Tom McAllister, Paul Race, Jem Stach

Eligibility Criteria

You must have, or expect to gain, a minimum 2:1 Honours degree or international equivalent in a subject relevant to the proposed PhD project including chemistry, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry or biotechnology.

Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills.

The studentship covers fees at the Home rate (UK and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status and meet the residency criteria).

How To Apply

You must apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal 

Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.  

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:  

Search for the ‘Course Title’ using programme code: 8100F

Research Area: Chemistry

Select ‘PhD Chemistry’ as the programme of study

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Details’ section:  

• A ‘Personal Statement’ (this is a mandatory field) - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form  
• The studentship code SNES08 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field  
• When prompted regarding your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert. You do not need to upload a research proposal.

You must submit one application per studentship, you cannot apply for multiple studentships on one application.

Contact Details

Project queries: Tom McAllister. Others: admissions.