GTA PhD position at King’s College London

Applications are invited for 4-year PhD studentships in the Rosta group at King’s College London, to start in September 2016. The studentships will be funded for 4 years, on a starting bursary at the standard research council rate (£16,296) per annum and tuition fees at the Home/EU rate. There is no provision for overseas student fees.

The studentships enable graduates with excellent honours degrees to undertake a four year training programme that integrates a research project with teaching experience plus training in research methods and transferable key skills. The student will spend approximately 75% of their time on cutting edge research and 25% on education, including teaching training.

The Department of Chemistry at King’s College London provides excellent opportunities for postgraduate training in interdisciplinary research, including research seminars, studying in an exciting collaborative environment, and gaining valuable experience as a teaching assistant.

Below is a list of available topics, with relevant literature:
1. Ab initio calculations of small molecule host-guest systems
Single-molecule strong coupling at room temperature in plasmonic nanocavities, Chikkaraddy et al, Nature 2016
Light-regulated Molecular Trafficking in a Synthetic Water-soluble Host, Barrio et al, JACS Comm 2016

2. Targeting Big Data: Statistical analysis of molecular trajectories
Free energies from dynamic weighted histogram analysis using unbiased Markov state model, Rosta et al, JCTC 2015

3. Biology of cancer: Using molecular dynamics simulations to reveal the MAPK pathway activation mechanisms
Phosphorylation of RAF Kinase Dimers Drives Conformational Changes that Facilitate Transactivation, Jambrina et al, Angewandte Chemie 2016