PhD Studentship: In Silico Directed Evolution of Biological Qubits: Rational Design of Nanoscale Quantum Transducers

Overview

This PhD studentship focuses on the in silico directed evolution of biological qubits for the rational design of nanoscale quantum transducers. The research transitions biological qubits from passive quantum observers with fluorescence-based readouts to active quantum transducers that actuate downstream biological responses governed by quantum spin dynamics. The project unites open quantum system spin dynamics simulations with deep-learning protein generation to establish a computational pipeline engineering biological qubits that transduce spin-dependent events into functional biological effector signals.

What you get

The studentship provides coverage for tuition fees along with an annual stipend of £21,805 per annum for the 2026/7 academic year. Funding is provided by the EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The research is co-supervised by Prof. Alex Jones at the National Physical Laboratory and leverages protein design methodology from Orion Life Gmbh, with prospective predictions considered for experimental validation at the Living Systems Institute and National Physical Laboratory.

Key dates

The closing date for applications is 2026-12-08.