Assessment and development of antimicrobial resistant coated steels for indoor applications

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Tata Steel is one of Europe's leading steel producers, with steelmaking in the UK and the Netherlands, and manufacturing plants across Europe. The company supplies high-quality steel strip products to demanding markets such as construction, automotive, packaging and engineering. Advantica steel was developed specifically to support the aesthetic and functional requirements of modern architecture applications including office furniture, lighting, and niche construction. This steel has been coated with metallic, organic and inorganic coatings and comprises multiple layers each giving specific properties to the final coated product.We are looking for a PhD student to join our team and work on an exciting research program to develop coatings for steels to be used indoors on high traffic areas. COVID-19 has drastically changed the perception of antimicrobials, as many look at these technologies as a much-needed safety measure. We are already seeing how COVID-19 has driven substantial interest in antimicrobial coatings. This research will involve experimental and characterisation work (including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman and infrared spectroscopy, dSTORM imaging and high contaminant microbiology work). For this project we will initially test the antimicrobial properties of surfaces in simulated 'real-life' environments. The candidate will be able to test the antimicrobial properties of the novel surfaces using safe, non-infectious proxies for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 disease, followed by high-containment studies on the final ideal candidate material. This fully funded PhD studentship also represents an exciting opportunity to undertake research in close partnership with Tata Steel UK (https://www.tatasteeleurope.com). Their testing and research facilities are located within the University of Warwick Science Park (adjacent to campus). The successful candidate will be based within WMG but have access to both the Medical School and School of Life Sciences during their candidature.