MICROBIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

Project title: ISOS-Implantable Ecosystems of Genetically Modified Bacteria for the Personalized Treatment of Patients with Chronic Diseases

Project aim: To develop engineered living hydrogel for the age related macular degeneration treatment

Funder: EIC 

Duration: Dec 2023 to Nov 2026 

Staff involved: Paul James 

PIs: Meng Zhang 

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: TBC

Project title: Fibre Fusion: Circular Manufacturing of Water Repelling Bacterial Cellulose Through a Biological Approach

Project aim: To develop a new, biologically based, efficient fabrication process for bio- based textiles.

Funder: BBSRC

Duration: Feb 2023 to Jan 2025

Staff involved: Paul James, Yunhong Jiang,
Jane Scott (Newcastle University)

PIs: Meng Zhang

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: Katie Gilmour

Project title: Feasibility study into methods for improving the scalability of MICP (Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation) for the production of Low carbon Precast Tiles and internal cladding systems

Project aim: To develop an efficient fabrication process to produce low carbon precast construction materials through Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation

Funder: Innovate UK

Duration: August 2023 to Jan 2024

Staff involved: Giovanni Pesce 

PIs: Meng Zhang

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: Jamie Haystead

Project title: Engineered Living Pressure Responding Materials

Project aim: To develop engineered living materials sensing and responding to mechanical pressure changes in the environment

Funder: EPSRC and HBBE 

Duration: Ongoing 

Staff involved: Martyn Dade-Robertson, Paul James

PIs: Meng Zhang 

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: Katie Gilmour, Polly Noble, Thora Arnardottir

Project title: Adventurous Manufacture Living Manufacture: Principles for a microbial 3D printer.

Project aim: To develop engineered living fabrication system to produce functional biomaterials

Funder: EPSRC and HBBE 

Duration: Ongoing 

Staff involved: Meng Zhang, Martyn Dade-Robertson  

PIs: Martyn Dade-Robertson

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: Katie Gilmour, Josh Loh, Thora Arnardottir, Sunbin Lee

Project title: Solar cement: carbon negative biocement

Project aim: To develop biocementation process to make carbon negative cementious materials 

Funder: HBBE

Duration: Ongoing 

Staff involved: Samantha Bryan (Nottingham), Magdalini Theodoridou (NCL), Paul James

PIs: Meng Zhang, Martyn Dade-Robertson

Post Doctorial Research Assistants:  Thora Arnardottir, Jamie Haystead

Project title: Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation through CO2 Sequestration via an Engineered Bacillus subtilis  

Project aim: To develop biocementation process to make carbon negative cementious materials 

Funder: HBBE and BioFutures

Duration: Ongoing 

Staff involved: Martyn Dade-Robertson

PIs:  Meng Zhang, Paul James

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: Katie Gilmour, Prakriti Sharma Ghimire, Jamie Haystead

Project title: Fabrication of functional bacterial cellulose through engineering biology

Project aim: To develop functional bacterial cellulose for textile and construction industry through engineering biology approach 

Funder: BBSRC and HBBE

Duration: Ongoing 

Staff involved: Martyn Dade-Robertson, Paul James

PIs:  Meng Zhang

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: Katie Gilmour, Josh Loh

Project title: Development of Biocataysis Platform for drug developments.

Project aim: To develop biocatalytic routes to produce novel drugs using ketoreductases and galactose oxidases from metagenomes samples. 

Funder: Innovate UK and KETP

Duration: Ongoing 

Staff involved: Warispreet Singh 

PIs:  Jose Munoz

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: Migkena Zoupali

Project title: A testable hypothesis for lipoprotein-driven bacterial outer membrane evolution

Project aim:

Funder: BBSRC Pioneer Award

Duration:  1 year 

Staff involved: Paul James

PIs: Iain Sutcliffe

Post Doctoral Research Assistants: Mingaile Jackson

Project title: Enzymatic upcycling of textile waste into biodegradable mycelium leather

Project aim: To enzymatically convert waste textiles into a feedstock that can be used to support the growth of mycelium that can then be converted into a leather like product.

Funder: BBSRC – Towards a circular economy for technology relevant metals and textiles

Duration:  2 years

Staff involved: Meng Zhang, Gary Black and Jane Scott

PIs: Paul James

Post Doctoral Research Assistants: Zak Towle

Project title: Microbial division of labour for enhanced carbon dioxide utilization by electricity-eating microbes

Project aim: To divide labour between two microbes to convert CO2 to multi-carbon products. 

Funder: The Royal Society

Duration:  1 year

Staff involved: To be confirmed

PIs: Shafeer Kalathil

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: To be confirmed

Project title: A living bionic leaf to produce solar chemicals and fuels from carbon dioxide

Project aim: To rewire photosynthesis to produce solar chemicals from bacteria, CO2, water and sunlight.

Funder: Johnson Matthey

Duration:  4 years

Staff involved: to be confirmed

PIs: Shafeer Kalathil

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: to be confirmed

Project title: Bio-fabrication of sustainable functional bacterial cellulose aerogel for building insulation

Project aim: To develop sustainable high-performance bio-based insulation bacterial cellulose aerogels with improved multiple functions. 

Funder: EPSRC

Duration:  June 2023 – May 2025

Staff involved: to be confirmed

PIs: Yunhong Jiang

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: Rashi Gusain

Project title: Plant nanobionic for photosynthesis in energy harvest

Project aim: To provides an innovative approach to improve photosynthesis through enhancement of light capture and electron transport rates in plants using novel plasmonic intercalation compounds of selected low-dimensional transition metal oxides. 

Funder: Leverhulme Trust 

Duration:  October 2022 – September 2025

Staff involved: Warispreet Singh

PIs: Yunhong Jiang

Project title: Development of sustainable and biodegradable inks for e-textile printing

Project aim: To develop new biodegradable polymers inks based on renewable sources. 

Funder: Innovate UK

Duration: June 2023 – November 2023

Staff involved: Rashi Gusain

PIs: Yunhong Jiang

Project title: PICASSO – Bioprocessing waste into reuseable products

Project aim: To develop and refine technology to biologically treat waste aviation fuel.

Funder: Royal Air Force Air Innovation Fund (RAF)  

Duration: Sept 2022 to Nov Sept 2023  

Staff involved: David Pearce, Michael Deary

PIs: David Pearce 

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: Pedro Jesus Fernandez Julia 

Project title: BIOICE - Blue Ice oases and the revival of microbial life

Project aim: To characterize the microbial community in Antarctic Blue Ice Oases.

Funder: Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Duration: Sept 2020 to Nov Sept 2023  

Staff involved: David Pearce

PIs: David Pearce   

PhD students: Rosalia Calvo Ryan

Externally funded interns: Laure Newby  

Project title: BOLTS - Bioprocessing waste into reusable products

Project aim: To develop and refine technology to biologically treat waste heavy oils

Funder: Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA)

Duration: Sept 2021 to Nov Sept 2022  

Staff involved: David Pearce, Michael Deary

PIs: David Pearce 

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: Andrew Zealand

Project title: The Home Biome Project (DUST). Dusty Secrets: characterising, communicating and capitalising on the hidden world within our homes

Project aim: To investigate microbial composition and AMR content of domestic house dust

Funder: Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

Duration: Sept 2021 to Sept 2022  

Staff involved: Jane Entwistle, David Pearce

PIs: Jane Entwistle, David Pearce

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: Jonathan Thompson

Project title: BIOAIR - Aerobiology over Antarctica

Project aim: To investigate microbial composition distribution functional and colonization potential around Antarctica 

Funder: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Duration: Sept 2019 to Nov Sept 2020 

Staff involved: David Pearce

PIs: David Pearce

Post Doctorial Research Assistants: Lucie Malard