Development of sensitive and ultrafast diagnostics for airborne viral infections

Current methods for detection of viral infections are either time consuming or have low sensitivity, making them sub-optimal for mass testing. To address these challenges, in this PhD project, we aim to develop proteins that change fluorescent properties upon binding to viral particles. Development of such fluorescent proteins could allow highly sensitive detection of specific viral particles within seconds.

The successful applicant will be a talented biochemist or chemist with enthusiasm for synthetic biology, chemical biology, molecular biology, and chemistry. The candidate will work at the forefront of chemical and synthetic biology and will develop advanced skills in various molecular biology and analytical techniques, including molecular cloning, protein expression and purification, gel electrophoresis, western blotting, ELISA and HPLC, and also chemical synthesis.

The research work will be performed in the Chemical and Synthetic Biology laboratories housed in the School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia under the supervision of Dr. Amit Sachdeva.