PhD Opportunities in AI-Driven Biocatalysis: Join the UKRI-Funded BioAID Programme (Starting 2026)
- Jiahui Zhou
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
We are delighted to share that BioAID (AI-Driven Industrial Biocatalysis’ programme), a new doctoral training programme in Biotechnology, has been funded through a UKRI BBSRC Doctoral Focal award, to train the next generation of experts in biocatalysis and AI-enhanced enzyme solutions.
Recognised as a strategic driver of decarbonized bioeconomy, the ‘BioAID programme will train scientists in an area crucial for driving bioscience innovation and its real-world applications, equipping them with specialist expertise in enzyme science and AI to advance sustainable biotransformation technologies.
The programme addresses the growing demand for scalable, AI-enhanced enzyme solutions across sectors including pharmaceuticals, agri-tech and clean energy. Students will receive integrated training in machine learning, protein design and synthetic biology, supported by national computing infrastructure and hands-on laboratory experience.
Designed to be interdisciplinary from the outset, BioAID projects will be co-supervised across biosciences, AI, and engineering, with strong industry links through co-designed projects and placements. The programme is structured around three core scientific themes:
AI-Powered Enzyme Discovery (e.g. metagenomic mining and function prediction)
AI-Guided Enzyme Design (e.g. customizing enzymes accelerated by ML models)
AI-Enhanced Enzyme Applications (e.g. scalable biocatalysis in clean manufacturing)
Launching in October 2026, the six-year BioAID programme aims to deliver substantial
societal and economic benefits by embedding AI-driven biocatalysis innovation within the
UK’s bioscience talent pipeline.
We are recruiting talented PhD students with strong interest in interdisciplinary research at the interface of AI and biocatalysis into this exciting programme. Please register your interest from the webform below:
Comments