PHD Studentship, Analytics, Environmental & Forensics

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON; United Kingdom; On-site; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hands-on research experience

Collaborative research environment

Advanced training in imaging techniques

Job summary

A leading research university in the UK is offering an exciting PhD position focused on developing radiotracers for infection diagnosis. The project involves working collaboratively with clinicians and utilizing advanced imaging techniques. Candidates should have a strong MSc/MRes background in relevant science fields and research experience. The position is self-funded, and candidates are encouraged to contact the supervising professor for more details.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated research skills through dissertation in relevant subjects.
• Lab-based project experience in microbiology, chemistry, or biology preferred.
• Strong academic record (1st or 2:1 degree or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Develop radiotracers for diagnosing infections.
• Conduct synthetic chemistry and radiochemistry.
• Perform preclinical animal studies and data analysis.

Skills

Synthetic chemistry

Analytical techniques (HPLC, LC–MS, NMR)

Radiochemistry

Microbiological assays

Ethical compliance for animal study

Imaging data acquisition and analysis

Education

MSc/MRes in microbiology, biomedical science, chemistry, biology

Tools

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

HPLC

LC–MS

Job description

Organisation/Company KINGS COLLEGE LONDON Research Field Biological sciences Chemistry Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) First Stage Researcher (R1) Country United Kingdom Application Deadline 26 Nov 2026 - 00:00 (UTC) Type of Contract Permanent Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Revolutionising Infection Diagnosis Through Targeted Radiometal Imaging

Background of the Project:

People with conditions like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, organ transplants, or immunodeficiencies face higher risks of infection, complications, and death. Prompt and accurate diagnosis is vital to improve outcomes in these vulnerable groups. However, clinical diagnosis of microbial infections is often challenging, and noninvasive methods tend to perform poorly. Existing lab techniques typically require invasive sample collection, followed by time-consuming culture and antibiotic resistance testing. These methods delay results and lack real-time monitoring to assess disease burden or pinpoint the infection site. Imaging tools that specifically target pathogens are highly sought after to improve noninvasive infection diagnosis and localisation. Currently, no clinical imaging test can reliably distinguish infections from inflammation or malignancy or differentiate between bacterial and fungal infections.

Emerging research is exploring radiometals conjugated with targeting molecules forin vivoimaging of infections via PET or SPECT. These agents can also be linked to therapeutics, enabling combined diagnosis and targeted antimicrobial treatment (theranostics)—offering a promising tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

At King’s College London, in collaboration with clinicians as well as scientists from UKSHA, we have set up a unique facility to develop radiotracers (conjugating radiometals with different targeted molecules) and to evaluate them biologicallyin vitroandin vivo. We work closely with clinicians, King’s translational and King’s IP & Licensing team. Our team has expertise in working with industry to develop radiopharmaceutical kits.

What we offer:

We are offering an exciting and ambitious PhD research opportunity to explore different molecules/targets to develop infection-specific radiotracers and navigating their clinical translation.

Depending on the project choice/previous experience/interests, as a PhD student, you will gain hands-on experience in

• Synthetic chemistry and analytical techniques (HPLC, LC–MS, NMR)
• Designing and synthesising compounds for bacterial or fungal new targets or developing theragnostic agents
• Radiation safety, regulation and handling radioisotopes
• Radiochemistry (radiolabelling of compounds, purity, stability andin vitrocharacterisation of radiolabelled compounds using radio iTLC and radio-HPLC)
• Microbiological assays (microbial cell growth and maintenance,in vitroevaluation of radiolabelled compounds in different microbial pathogens) & tissue culture-basedex vivoevaluation
• Ethical and regulatory compliance for animal study (Home Office licensing in the UK)
• Preclinical animal studies (in vivostudies in healthy and infection model), Imaging data acquisition and analysis (Positron Emission Tomography)

Complementary training includes research ethics, scientific communication, project management, and collaboration across clinical and scientific disciplines—equipping you to contribute to innovative diagnostics and targeted therapies in the fight against infectious diseases and AMR.

References:

• Akter A, Cooper MS, Darwesh AMF, Hider RC, Blower PJ, Price NM, Lyons O, Schelenz S, Mehra V, Abbate V.Radiotracers for in situ infection imaging: Experimental considerations for in vitro microbial uptake of gallium-68-labeled siderophores.Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2024 Dec;110(4):116522. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2024.116522.
• Young JD, Abbate V, Imberti C, Meszaros LK, Ma MT, Terry SYA, Hider RC, Mullen GE, Blower PJ.68Ga-THP-PSMA: A PET Imaging Agent for Prostate Cancer Offering Rapid, Room-Temperature, 1-Step Kit-Based Radiolabeling. J Nucl Med. 2017 Aug;58(8):1270-1277. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.117.191882.
• Failla M, Floresta G, Abbate V.Peptide-based positron emission tomography probes: current strategies for synthesis and radiolabelling. RSC Med Chem. 2023 Jan 6;14(4):592-623. doi: 10.1039/d2md00397j.
• Floresta G, Keeling GP, Memdouh S, Meszaros LK, de Rosales RTM, Abbate V.NHS-Functionalized THP Derivative for Efficient Synthesis of Kit-Based Precursors for68Ga Labeled PET Probes. Biomedicines. 2021 Apr 1;9(4):367. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9040367.

Please also visit Dr Vincenzo Abbate’s website for more information:

Application deadline:For prospective students interested in our PhD project, applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Funding:Self-funded Home/International Students only.

Candidate Requirement:

We prioritise candidates with a strong MSc/MRes background who have demonstrated research skills through their dissertation in microbiology, biomedical science, chemistry, biology or relevant subjects. However, A 1st or 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in above-stated subjects with lab-based project experience is also welcomed. For more information on the entry requirements and fees please visit our website.

Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to contact Dr Vincenzo Abbate (email:[e-mail] ) to discuss in detail before applying for this PhD studentship.

Please apply via the King's Apply website (https://apply.kcl.ac.uk ) to the School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Science (PhD).

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