Assessment and development of antimicrobial resistant coated steels for indoor applications

塔塔钢铁（Tata Steel）是欧洲领先的钢铁生产商之一，在英国和荷兰设有炼钢厂，并在欧洲各地设有制造厂。公司为建筑、汽车、包装和工程等要求苛刻的市场提供高品质的钢带产品。Advantica钢是专门为支持现代建筑应用的美学和功能要求而开发的，包括办公家具、照明和小众建筑。这种钢已经涂上了金属、有机和无机涂层，并由多层组成，每层都赋予最终涂层产品特定的性能。我们正在寻找一名博士生加入我们的团队，从事一个令人兴奋的研究项目，开发用于高流量区域的室内钢材涂层。COVID-19极大地改变了人们对抗微生物药物的看法，因为许多人将这些技术视为急需的安全措施。我们已经看到COVID-19如何激发了人们对抗菌涂层的极大兴趣。这项研究将涉及实验和表征工作（包括x射线光电子能谱、拉曼和红外光谱、dSTORM成像和高污染物微生物学工作）。在这个项目中，我们将首先在模拟的“现实生活”环境中测试表面的抗菌性能。候选材料将能够使用安全、非传染性的SARS-CoV-2（导致COVID-19疾病的病毒）替代品来测试新型表面的抗菌性能，然后对最终理想的候选材料进行高遏制研究。这项全额资助的博士奖学金也代表了与塔塔钢铁英国公司（https://www.tatasteeleurope.com）密切合作进行研究的令人兴奋的机会。他们的测试和研究设施位于华威大学科技园（毗邻校园）。成功的候选人将在WMG工作，但在候选人期间可以进入医学院和生命科学学院。

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.