The world’s first dedicated PhD programme in alternative proteins
Our programme is designed to train future scientific leaders while delivering meaningful industrial impact.
A global ecosystem of scientific and industry leaders
Students are a part of Imperial’s world-class laboratories and supported by supervisors across bioengineering, fermentation, cellular agriculture, food science, and systems biology. Each project is shaped by real industry challenges and aligned with emerging commercial opportunities.
This section will showcase:
- Current PhD students
- Research topics
- Host laboratories
- Supervisory teams
Over 50 students from across Imperial and our network of ‘Spoke’ institutions.
The Bezos Centre PhD programme, with over 50 students from across Imperial and our network of ‘Spoke’ institutions, trains the next generation of food leaders to work across the full innovation pipeline – from scientific discovery through to consumer adoption.
Each project is supported to receive:
- A validated industry need and a defined impact objective (i.e. waste reduction, upcycling, cost or efficiency gains)
- A clear IP and translation pathway
- Students are recruited to specific, industry-aligned challenges
As part of the training programme, students receive full access to the Bezos Centre ecosystem, and more specifically:
- Travel and conference grants
- Journal clubs and technology-specific sessions
- IP, LCA and TEA Support
- Access to global ecosystem
- Mentorship from Bezos Centre academics
- Commercialisation Training
Plant Cell Foundry for Sustainable Protein Ingredients - Dr Karen Sarkisyan
Building a crop-cell foundry to accelerate early-stage plant-made ingredient development for alternative proteins.
This research will establish a collection of food-relevant suspension cell lines, paired with a rapid plant-cell testing system, to answer a practical question: when a new ingredient design arrives, which plant host should be tried first, and what genetic design makes it work?
Accelerating sustainable protein innovation through open, reusable research infrastructure
This project sits at the intersection of plant synthetic biology, food bioprocessing, and platform engineering.
The output will be a reusable foundry and screening service, open to the Bezos Centre labs and startups, enabling early prototyping of plant-made ingredients cheaply and within realistic bioprocess constraints. By generating evidence-based host-comparison data and design rules, this work will inform one of the most consequential R&D decisions in alternative-protein development: which host organism to use.
Air-driven food protein production - Dr Sonja Billerbeck
Engineering hydrogen-oxidising bacteria into programmable cell factories for air-driven, carbon-neutral food protein production.
This research will develop Xanthobacter species into versatile production hosts for recombinant food proteins, including casein, mollenin, and enzymes, using advanced genetic tools such as inducible promoters and multiplex CRISPR systems. Through this research new platforms will be designed and validated to make laboratory-scale gas fermentation platforms accessible and suitable for research and scale translation.
Advancing carbon-neutral biomanufacturing through open, accessible gas fermentation research
This project sits at the intersection of engineering biology, bacterial physiology, and bioprocess engineering, combining genetic tool development with practical platform innovation.
Open-access hardware and protocols will be published to lower barriers to entry and accelerate progress across academia and industry, directly supporting the development of carbon-neutral food production systems and advancing the Centre’s mission to build a sustainable, equitable, resilient, and healthy food system.
Computational Gastronomy for Sustainable Protein Recipe Innovation - Dr Jakub Radzikowski
Using machine learning and flavour science to integrate novel sustainable proteins into culturally credible cuisine.
Most recipe recommendation systems learn from existing cookbooks and food databases; novel proteins have never appeared in either. This research will train a multimodal embedding model integrating flavour chemistry, sensory measurement, functional behaviour, cooking methods, and nutritional composition, creating a predictive framework for ingredients with no culinary history.
Accelerating sustainable protein adoption through AI-powered culinary innovation
This project sits at the intersection of machine learning, flavour science, and culinary practice, developed in collaboration with the Chemical Kitchen, the Dyson School of Design Engineering, the Department of Computing, and industry partner KAIKAKU.AI.
By compressing the time and cost of culturally credible recipe development, this work will give alternative-protein producers a tool for early market-fit assessment by cuisine, currently absent from most go-to-market strategies. Outputs including model weights, training data, a sensory benchmark, and a queryable web interface will be released open-access, supporting a more equitable and sustainable global food system.
Digital Twins for Alternative Protein Production - Dr Cleo Kontoravdi
Building an AI framework to optimise carbon-negative protein production, in collaboration with Solmeyea, the first company globally producing EFSA- and FDA-approved proteins directly from industrial CO2.
This research will develop a multi-layered AI framework combining hybrid process modelling, reinforcement learning, and sustainability assessment to optimise CO2 to protein conversion under real-world conditions, validated against pilot-scale data at Solmeyea’s demonstration facility.
Contributing to the first carbon-negative alternative protein production process
This project sits at the intersection of process systems engineering, machine learning, and sustainable bioprocessing, with a clear policy dimension: findings will inform engagement with bodies shaping the UK Carbon Budget, EU Emissions Trading System, and Carbon Capture and Utilisation frameworks, supporting both food security targets and the Bezos Centre’s mission.
Identification and Characterisation of Species-Specific Genetic Elements for GMO-Free Cultivated Meat Engineering – Dr Francesca Ceroni
Developing a bovine-only genetic toolkit to enhance cultivated beef production without triggering GMO labelling, in collaboration with AstraZeneca.
This research will identify and characterise bovine-specific genetic elements, including promoters, enhancers, and regulatory sequences, using multi-omics data and machine learning to scan the bovine genome for safe-harbour loci. The student will apply CRISPR-Cas9 engineering to establish stable, silencing-free cell lines and compile findings into an open-access bovine genetic part registry.
A regulatory-aligned path to affordable, consumer-accepted cultivated meat
This project sits at the intersection of engineering biology, cellular agriculture, and food regulation.
By using only bovine-derived genetic parts, this work offers a plausible route to streamlined regulatory approval and higher consumer acceptance, whilst also contributing to lower raw material costs and faster growth rates. The resulting blueprint for non-transgenic cellular agriculture will benefit producers, policymakers, and the wider engineering biology community.
Ways to Engage: Partnering on the PhD Programme
The Bezos Centre PhD Programme 2026 is designed to maximise industrial value across the full innovation lifecycle, from defining research priorities to translating discoveries into deployable solutions.
We offer three partnership models:
Project Partner
Shape high-impact research
Co-fund a dedicated PhD aligned to your innovation needs, supervised by world-leading academics and supported by the Bezos Centre.
Includes:
- Joint scoping with your R&D team
- Academic pairing and co-supervision
- Access to pre-competitive research and data
- Translation support and IP guidance
- Priority access to follow-on projects or spinouts
Ideal for organisations seeking deep collaboration, strategic alignment and direct influence over research outcomes.
Collaborative Partner
Co-create new solutions
Join or co-fund a shared-interest PhD project alongside another organisation addressing a common challenge.
Includes:
- Shared-cost co-funded PhD
- Joint challenge scoping workshop
- Academic pairing and tailored project design
- Ongoing engagement throughout the PhD lifecycle
- Shared access to research outputs
Ideal for organisations seeking targeted collaboration with reduced financial commitment and shared risk.
Insight Partner
Guide the Direction
Contribute to shaping future research by sharing your R&D priorities, emerging challenges, and areas of opportunity.
Includes:
- Participation in research framing discussions
- Early visibility of upcoming PhD themes
- Access to talent pipeline and scientific network
- Strategic brand visibility within the Centre’s ecosystem
Ideal for organisations new to the Centre or seeking strategic engagement and visibility before committing to co-funding.
Shape the future of sustainable protein
Whether you are a student, researcher, startup, corporate partner, or investor, the Bezos Centre offers pathways to engage, learn, and build together.
From doctoral training to executive education, we are creating the talent pipeline that will power a more sustainable, resilient, and affordable food system.
