The ability to control, manipulate and interrogate complex molecular environments at molecular resolution is an enabling basic technology that can provide powerful new tools to engineer functional integrated organic-inorganic devices. Such devices will enable one to tailor the interfacial interactions that underpin so many applications of everyday relevance from bio-compatibility to catalysis, and of future relevance, such as energy harvesting and personalized healthcare. Our vision is to create the internationally leading centre for doctoral training focussed on the development of groundbreaking basic technologies for nanoscale molecular control that can be adapted to a diverse range of scientific and technological problems. The EPSRC delivery plan highlights the urgent need for highly trained scientists and engineers who can work across disciplinary boundaries. For example, in healthcare technologies there is a critical requirement to advance the engineering and physical sciences knowledge and techniques essential to: pull-through biology (for example, chemical biology, integration of biomarkers and diagnostics, etc); enable earlier and better diagnosis, treatment and management of health conditions (for example, drug design, novel drug delivery, personalized medicine, etc); and, enable future healthcare systems that deliver more efficient personalized and localized care (for example, information-driven healthcare, point-of-care diagnostics and devices, etc). Similarly, in the RCUK energy and digital economy themes, the importance of multi-disciplinarity and collaborative research is clearly stated, and this strategy is reiterated by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) criteria for the protection of national capability and international competitiveness, and to maximise the economic and social benefits of research. These views are echoed, and indeed defined, by research end-user companies, which express their need for doctoral scientists and engineers with the particular cross-disciplinary scientific and transferable skills that will be generated by this programme. Such end-users include: the pharmaceutical industry, which requires PhD scientists with training in biochemistry, surface chemistry, and analytical chemistry; the in vitro diagnostics industry, which is worth approximately Euro16 billion in Europe alone and growing at almost 6% pa (with the UK as a major player), where companies require scientists and engineers with skills in biochemistry, surface chemistry, electronics, and micro-fluidics; the burgeoning biomaterials and tissue engineering fields, where companies use sophisticated nanostructured surfaces to control biological adhesion, biological signalling and biofouling; and the personal care products industry, where problems revolving around biochemistry at interfaces, surface chemistry and biological adhesion underpin products ranging from toothpaste to hair care products. The ability to think and work in cross-disciplinary environments, and to apply solutions from one's core discipline to problems involving another discipline, is a skill that needs to be nurtured throughout the entire PhD training; it is not possible to add this later in the workplace via training courses.
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As such, the need for people with these skills is proven, and the market for them is enormous.
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