Research Studentships

Insect eggs and sperm are stunningly diverse. Yet, there are major unknowns in the way insect eggs and sperm interact during fertilisation because this happens inside the female’s body. Recent research has summarised thousands of studies in large datasets of insect sperm length (>4700 species) and insect egg size (>6700 species), yet matching data from sperm and egg size is scarce. This is hindering our understanding of the coevolution of sperm and eggs, for which selection on one, must pose constraints on the other. It is also a barrier in our understanding of sperm entry into the egg, both at the surface and into the channel leading to the egg interior. In contrast to vertebrates where fertilisation is well characterised, the internal fertilisation of insects poses challenges which have prevented our understanding of sperm movement into the egg so far. The complex egg surface architecture at the site of sperm entry, the micropyle, is a critical avenue for research.

This 3-year funded PhD studentship has three main objectives:

1. Assemble the first dedicated collection of insect eggs capitalising on existing complementary sperm data, for long-term preservation and future accessibility
2. Characterise morphological variation of egg surface diversity at the site of sperm entry to identify key transitions in morphological evolution across insects
3. Use physical reality to recreate sperm movement over the egg surface using a combination of experimental tests and mathematical models. You will use museum collections and other sources to assemble a comprehensive collection of insect eggs, then with a combination of microCT scanning and surface tomography, you will image the eggs in detail for phylogenetic analyses. Geometric morphometrics (shape analysis) will reveal the morphological diversity of insect eggs, allowing you to model sperm movement across the egg surface.

You will work alongside an interdisciplinary team with Dr Graziella Iossa, an expert on insect eggs and micropyles, Professor Carl Soulsbury, who is developing cutting edge microfluidic devices and live imaging techniques for insect sperm, Dr Adnan Morshed, a mathematical modeller, and a postdoctoral research assistant.

Details to apply

The deadline for applications is 31 May 2026. The application is only open to home students. For any queries, please contact Dr Graziella Iossa.

Please send a 2-page CV and a cover letter addressing the following points to cohsstudentships@lincoln.ac.uk:

1. Why you are interested in this PhD studentship
2. Your background and how this fits within the project
3. How would this PhD further your career goals.

Project Title:

Metal - Organic Frameworks for Carbon and Water Capture

Project Description:

In their influential analysis of global chemical challenges, Scholl and Lively¹ highlighted the urgent need for improved technologies for greenhouse gas removal from dilute emissions. Metal - Organic Frameworks (MOFs) represent a leading class of materials in this regard due to their high pore volumes, structural tunability, and diverse interaction potentials with gas molecules. While many MOFs exhibit excellent CO₂ sorption behaviour in laboratory conditions, their practical implementation presents unresolved challenges, including performance stability, cooperative adsorption dynamics, and a limited real-time understanding of structural changes during gas uptake.

This project will focus on the design, synthesis, and crystallographic characterisation of new MOFs targeting efficient and selective CO₂ capture. Particular emphasis will be placed on materials that undergo responsive structural changes - such as breathing, gate opening, or induced-fit transformations - upon guest inclusion. Through rational ligand design and controlled assembly of metal secondary building units, this work will explore how pore shape, chemical functionality, framework flexibility, and open metal sites contribute to enhanced CO₂ affinity while maintaining reversibility and cyclic stability.

Single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction experiments will be performed under gas pressure to directly observe host-guest interactions and framework transformations during adsorption. Complementary sorption, calorimetry, and gravimetric studies will quantify uptake capacities, hysteresis effects, sorption thermodynamics, and competitive selectivity. Although the primary focus will be on CO₂, the influence of water on adsorption behaviour - especially in materials with sites that also interact with H₂O - will be assessed as a secondary parameter, reflecting the realities of industrial flue gas and ambient capture scenarios.

[1] D. S. Scholl and R. P. Lively, Nature 2016, 532, 435.

Funding Notes:

This is a fully funded studentship for 3.5 years, applicable to Home applicants only. It covers all fees and provides an annual stipend of £20,780 paid in monthly instalments. Opportunities for collaboration and/or conference attendance are also available and will be supported and encouraged.

How to Apply

To make an application please email LBarbour@lincoln.ac.uk, providing a copy of your CV and a supporting statement outlining how your expertise and interests are relevant to the project.

Applications will be considered as they are received and remain open until a suitable candidate is found.

For enquiries about the project please contact Professor Len Barbour (LBarbour@lincoln.ac.uk) and Dr Gareth Lloyd (glloyd@lincoln.ac.uk).

Project Title:

Porous Macrocycles and Cage Compounds for Gas Separation

Project Description:

The selective separation of industrially relevant gases such as CO₂, CH₄, light hydrocarbons, and volatile industrial feedstocks relies on the discovery of new materials with finely controlled pore geometries and dynamic host–guest interactions. While extended frameworks such as zeolites and MOFs dominate the current research landscape, recent findings have demonstrated that discrete molecules (including macrocycles, metallocycles, molecular cages, and other shape-persistent hosts) can also form crystals capable of impressive porosity and gas uptake despite lacking conventional extended channels. These "porous molecular crystals" represent an exciting frontier for exploratory gas separation studies.

This project will investigate the synthesis, structural characterisation, and adsorption properties of new rigid macrocycles, cavitands, and cage-like molecules designed to pack inefficiently in the solid state, thereby generating accessible voids. The intrinsic molecular geometry of such species can produce guest-accessible cavities, narrow diffusion pathways, or transient porosity arising from host reorganisation or solid-state dynamics. Unlike extended frameworks, these systems offer exceptional opportunities for correlating molecular design features directly with emergent bulk porosity.

The student will synthesise a family of macrocyclic and cage compounds, optimise crystallisation conditions, and perform host–guest studies using single-crystal X-ray diffraction under controlled gas atmospheres. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding gas diffusion mechanisms, the impact of conformational rigidity or flexibility, and the possibility of reversible structural transformations upon sorption. Complementary sorption analysis, thermogravimetric methods, and calorimetry will provide complete adsorption profiles, selectivity data, and insight into sorption energetics.

This exploratory research will deepen our understanding of how discrete molecular species give rise to porosity in the solid state, with the long-term aim of developing new molecular crystal platforms for gas separation processes that complement – rather than compete with – conventional MOFs and extended frameworks.

Funding Notes:

This is a fully funded studentship for 3.5 years, applicable to Home applicants only. It covers all fees and provides an annual stipend of £20,780 paid in monthly instalments. Opportunities for collaboration and/or conference attendance are also available and will be supported and encouraged.

How to Apply

To make an application please email LBarbour@lincoln.ac.uk, providing a copy of your CV and a supporting statement outlining how your expertise and interests are relevant to the project.

Applications will be considered as they are received and remain open until a suitable candidate is found.

For enquiries about the project please contact Professor Len Barbour (LBarbour@lincoln.ac.uk) and Dr Gareth Lloyd (glloyd@lincoln.ac.uk).

Project Title:

Solid Solutions towards Design and Analysis of Flexible Molecular Crystals

Project Description:

Crystals are typically mechanically brittle; they readily shatter or cleave into smaller fragments with little sign of elastic or plastic deformation. However, a growing number of molecular crystals have recently been observed to exhibit elastic or plastic flexibility rather than brittleness, prompting intense research into their potential applications.[1] Despite this progress, a gap remains between these observations of flexibility and the theoretical understanding of why certain molecular crystals can or should deform (through bending, twisting, expansion, or compression). Although recent efforts have aimed to standardise analysis and enable the fitting of molecular models, it is clear that significant scope remains for deeper insight to support the design and application of such materials. Relevant applications include formulation science, the pharmaceutical industry, electronics (including flexible electronics), light-guiding components, monochromators, and technologies where crystalline responses to stimuli such as light, heat, or guest inclusion in porous materials are essential.[2]

Typical characterisation involves deforming crystals using three-point bending or tensile tests, yet these methods rarely produce clear, complete stress-strain relationships for all relevant crystallographic directions. Because crystals are anisotropic, understanding mechanical properties along key directions is essential for uncovering the molecular origins of their behaviour. Under this Leverhulme Trust–sponsored project, the design and construction of novel apparatus (a "flexometer") will enable direct connection between mechanical response and the crystallographic insights provided by the underlying crystal structure.

The project will therefore encompass the design and characterisation of molecular materials, with an emphasis on creating solid solutions to tune mechanical behaviour. This includes crystal structure determination and mechanical analysis in relation to crystal morphology. The approach will be benchmarked against known materials, enabling the design of new systems and the modulation of properties of interest, including elasticity, optical behaviour, and host-guest chemistry.

[1] Elastically flexible molecular crystals, A. J. Thompson, A. I. Chamorro Orue, A. J. Nair, J. R. Price, J. McMurtrie, J. K. Clegg, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2021, 50, 11725, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/D1CS00469G

[2] Inflatable porous organic crystals, A. I. Vicatos, L. Loots, G. Mathada, J. Drweska, A, M. Janiak, L. J. Barbour, Nat. Mater., 2025, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02393-6

Funding Notes:

This is a fully funded studentship for 3.5 years, applicable to Home applicants only. It covers all fees and provides an annual stipend of £20,780 paid in monthly instalments. Opportunities for collaboration and/or conference attendance are also available and will be supported and encouraged.

How to Apply

To make an application please email LBarbour@lincoln.ac.uk, providing a copy of your CV and a supporting statement outlining how your expertise and interests are relevant to the project.

Applications will be considered as they are received and remain open until a suitable candidate is found.

For enquiries about the project please contact Professor Len Barbour (LBarbour@lincoln.ac.uk) and Dr Gareth Lloyd (glloyd@lincoln.ac.uk).

Why Lincoln?

Choosing Lincoln means joining a welcoming, student-focused university in one of the UK’s most historic and beautiful cities. With its stunning cathedral, medieval castle, and vibrant cultural life, the city offers a unique setting that combines heritage with a modern university experience.

Our city is known for its friendly atmosphere, compact and walkable centre, and affordable cost of living — ideal for focused academic work and a rich personal experience. You’ll also find good transport links to London and other major cities.

About the School

The School of Social and Political Sciences is home to a dynamic community of researchers and academics. Our areas of expertise include:

• Political science and political theory
• International relations and security studies
• Populism, nationalism, and authoritarianism
• Strategic communications (propaganda, public diplomacy, and soft power)
• Counterterrorism
• Sociology and social policy
• Criminology and criminal justice
• Gender studies, race and ethnicity
• Public policy and governance
• Welfare and inequality
• Environmental politics and sustainability
• Father and family support

We are committed to critical inquiry, interdisciplinary collaboration, and making an impact through research, teaching, and public engagement. Visiting Fellows are warmly welcomed into this environment.

For more information about the academics and their research, please look through our staff list.

Eligibility

The Visiting Fellowship is open to those currently undertaking a PhD in the social sciences (or related subjects). Applicants should have a clear research plan and an interest in participating in the School’s academic life.

What the Fellowship Includes

PhD Visiting Fellows will receive:

• A desk or workspace in the School
• A University of Lincoln email account
• Full access to the university library and online resources
• Opportunities to network with staff and research students

Fellows are also invited to deliver a guest lecture to staff and students within our school.

Duration, Fees, and Support

Fellowships are available for up to 12 months, with a monthly fee of £200. The start date and duration are flexible and can be agreed based on your needs and the school's capacity.

For international applicants, the school will issue a letter of sponsorship to support visa applications. We advise applying well in advance to allow time for travel and visa arrangements.

How to Apply

To apply, please complete our short online form. We strongly recommend that you contact relevant staff prior to submitting your application.