Using Computational Fluid Dynamics to Model Antibacterial Surface Textures (PANTERJ_U26EMP)
Key Details
- Application deadline
- 31 March 2026. Project is open to Home applicants only.
- Location
- UEA
- Funding type
- Self-funded
- Start date
- 1 March 2026
- Mode of study
- Full-time
- Programme type
- Masters by Research
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Project description
Primary supervisor - Dr Jack Panter
The growth and proliferation of bacterial communities in biofilms on surfaces is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections [1]. This is problematic on devices that cannot be readily or regularly sterilised, such as medical implants, and is particularly serious when biofilms form of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It is therefore desirable to create surface coatings that prevent the attachment and/or proliferating of bacteria.
One promising technique is to physically structure the surface – creating a microscopic surface texture. Nanoscale textures have the capacity to disrupt the cell membranes and so kill bacteria on contact. A less explored yet promising route however is to use much larger surface features (microns to millimetres in size). These surfaces have been observed to show reduced biofilm formation compared to smooth (unstructured) surfaces, when bacterial suspensions are flowed across them. However, the microscale features are far too large in scale to kill bacteria on contact. It has instead been hypothesised that the surface structures are influencing the fluid flow to prevent bacterial adhesion, possibly through the action of effectively mixing and diluting chemical signals that indicate the presence of a critical mass of bacteria to form a biofilm.
Towards testing this hypothesis, this project will examine how micro- and milli-scale surface roughness influences fluid flow over a surface, with particular emphasis on how the roughness influences mixing of a soluble chemical. You will use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to achieve this, and there is scope for optimising the surface design to maximise mixing efficacy.
Entry requirements
The standard minimum entry requirement is 2:2 in engineering, physics, physical sciences, computer science, biological sciences (with computer modelling experience).
Funding
This project is offered on a self-funding basis. It is open to applicants with funding or those applying to funding sources. Details of tuition fees can be found here.
A bench fee is also payable in addition to the tuition fee to cover specialist equipment or laboratory costs required for the research. Applicants should contact the primary supervisor for further information about the fee associated with the project.
UEA Alumni 10% Scholarships - A scholarship of a 10% fee reduction is available to UEA Alumni looking to return for postgraduate study at UEA, Terms and conditions apply. For a postgraduate master’s loan, visit our Postgraduate Student Loans page for more information.
References
[1] A. Mishra, A. Aggarwal, and F. Khan, Antibiotics, (2024), 13, 623, DOI:10.3390/ antibiotics13070623.