This project is recruiting:
- Apply here: Research Associate
- Closing date: 18 October 2022
PIs: Dr Heather Whitney and Dr Rox Middleton
The project will analyse the nano and micro-structure of the plant surface epicuticular waxes and hairs as highly advanced optical coatings. This is in order to understand how plants use bionanomaterials to control light for photosynthetic harvesting and photoprotection, whilst fulfilling a range of other surface functionalities. Plant surfaces are coated in epicuticular wax (EW), producing a vast range of different surface architectures. These surfaces are well understood for their water-repellent properties, and have spawned innovation in water-repellent hierarchically structured surfaces. However, almost no attention has been paid to the diversity of optical phenomena they produce.
Epicuticular Waxes are an excellent target for synthetic biology because they are biologically derived complex composite biomaterials which are harvestable and recrystallisable invitro. Nature has produced a huge range of different wax compositions, nanoparticle morphologies and functions, which remain to be understood. We will take a design-led systematic synthetic biology approach to the project, using optical models to understand the parameter landscape, design the EW crystal morphologies and therefore target biological composites for functional application.