EastBio: Building Cellular Resilience: Unlocking the Health Potential of Scottish Potato Bioactives

Details

This fully funded, 4-year PhD project is part of a competition funded by the BBSRC EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership.

Cellular resilience describes the ability of cells and tissues to resist, adapt to and recover from biological, environmental and age-related stress. It is emerging as a unifying concept across the cosmetics, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical sectors, linking healthy ageing, inflammation and metabolic health. Loss of cellular resilience is increasingly recognised as a fundamental feature of ageing and a driver of chronic disease, making it an attractive target for preventative/therapeutic strategies. This interdisciplinary PhD project will investigate how plant-derived bioactives influence cellular resilience, inflammation and energy metabolism. Building on outcomes of our Innovate-UK PhytoCosmo project, which identified Scottish potato haulms as a sustainable source of solanesol-rich extracts through supercritical CO₂ extraction, the student will explore the biological activity of a chemically characterised extract beyond its traditional cosmetic applications.

The project is a collaboration with the James Hutton Institute, providing expertise in natural products chemistry and advanced analytical characterisation, and Grampian Growers, a leading Scottish agricultural cooperative supporting the circular economy through the valorisation of potato-processing by-products.

Solanesol is a key precursor in the biosynthesis of Coenzyme Q10, an essential component of mitochondrial energy production. Despite growing industrial interest in solanesol, relatively little is known about the biological activity of complex plant-derived extracts compared with purified compounds.

This project will address this knowledge gap through an integrated programme combining cellular biology, phytochemistry and system approaches to characterise the biological activity of solanesol-rich extracts from Scottish potato haulms. Using relevant human cell models, including macrophages and skin cells, the student will investigate its effects on inflammatory signalling, cytokine production, oxidative stress responses, mitochondrial function, energy metabolism, and cellular recovery following metabolic and inflammatory stress. Advanced analytical chemistry techniques including LC-MSn will be used to define the extract’s molecular composition and identify links between chemical constituents and biological activity. By identifying the compounds and pathways associated with enhanced cellular resilience, inflammation resolution and healthy ageing, the project will generate the mechanistic evidence to support future cosmetic, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications.

The studentship offers training in mammalian cell culture, molecular and cellular biology, bioenergetic analysis, inflammatory signalling assays phytochemical extraction techniques and advanced analytical chemistry. Working within a multidisciplinary team and alongside industrial partners, the successful candidate will gain expertise in experimental design, data analysis and scientific communication.

By transforming potato-processing waste into high-value bioactive ingredients, this project will connect sustainable agriculture with human health and contribute to innovative circular-economy solutions for wellbeing and healthy ageing.

This is a CASE studentship (Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering). CASE studentships involve students enhancing their training by spending three to 18 months with a CASE partner in a workplace outside of the academic environment. The CASE partner for this project is Grampian Growers Limited.

Please note, your application may be shared with any external partners of this PhD Studentship.

This project is available for part-time study (Home/UK students only).

Interested applicants should contact the lead supervisor to discuss the project prior to applying. You can do this by selecting the first listed name at the top of this advert and sending your enquiry. Alternatively, you can search for the supervisor through the University of Aberdeen staff directory and email them directly.

———————————

ELIGIBILITY:

Applicants should hold a minimum of a 2:1 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject. Those with a 2:2 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) may be considered, provided they have (or are expected to achieve) a Distinction or Commendation at master’s level.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, and are committed to having a diverse, inclusive team.

All students must meet the eligibility criteria as outlined in the UKRI guidance on funding for postgraduate training and development. This guidance should be read in conjunction with the Terms and conditions for training funding – UKRI.

———————————

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

For full details and to download the application form, visit: https://biology.ed.ac.uk/eastbio/how-to-apply

Please note that you may only apply for one EASTBIO project.

1. Application submission

Submit your complete application by 23:59 GMT on 16th November 2026 to smmsn-pgrenquiries@abdn.ac.uk.

Send your application as a single email with the subject line: “EASTBIO Application – [Your Name]”

2. Required documents

Your application email must include the following:

• Completed EASTBIO application form
• Academic certificates and transcripts (University education only)
• Two references (one reference may be non-academic)

3. References

All references must be provided using the official EASTBIO reference form (available here).

References can be either:

• Included with your application, or
• Sent directly by referees to smmsn-pgrenquiries@abdn.ac.uk with the subject line: “EASTBIO Reference – [Your Name]”

All references must be received by 23:59 GMT on 16th November 2026.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure both references are submitted by the deadline, as we cannot request them on your behalf.

Important notes

• You may only apply for one EastBio Project.
• No research proposal is required.
• Do not include any additional documents (for example, school certificates, conference papers, or dissertations).
• Incomplete applications or those including superfluous unnecessary documents will not be considered.
• Due to workload constraints, we are unable to follow up on missing documents or process incomplete applications.
• All candidates will be notified of the outcome of their application.
• We will confirm receipt of your applications upon processing. Due to the high volume of applications, this may not be until after the deadline. We ask that you please refrain from contacting us regarding updates or to see if your application has been received.
• For any questions or assistance with the application process, please contact smmsn-pgrenquiries@abdn.ac.uk.

Funding Notes

This fully funded, four-year PhD project is offered as part of a competition within the EASTBIO BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership. The opportunity is open to both UK and international applicants, although the proportion of international students recruited through the EASTBIO DTP is capped at 30% by UKRI BBSRC.

EASTBIO studentships provide a tax-free UKRI doctoral stipend (estimated at £22,437 for the 2027/28 academic year), a training grant of £5,000 per year for the first three years (and £1,500 in the fourth year), and a travel and conference allowance of £230 per year.

Please note that EASTBIO is unable to fund visa costs or associated healthcare surcharges for international students.