Queen’s University to lead new doctoral training programme in Biotechnology

Queen's University to lead new doctoral training programme in Biotechnology

A new doctoral training centre based at Queen's University Belfast will help to train the next generation of experts in biocatalysis and AI-enhanced enzyme solutions.

The 'BioAID: AI-Driven Industrial Biocatalysis' programme is part of a major £40m investment by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The funding is being awarded to projects which are designed to strengthen the UK's talent pipeline in bioscience, biotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), data science and engineering biology.

Led by Queen's, with co-leads including University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh and University of Bristol, the BioAid programme is being funded by a Doctoral Focal award through the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), with co-investment from the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

The programme will equip students with specialist knowledge in enzyme science and AI to advancesustainable biotransformation technologies.

Dr Meilan Huang, Director of the BioAID programme from Queen's, says: "This is a very timelyinvestment. The programme will train the next generation of scientists in an area crucial for drivingbioscience innovation and its real-world applications. This work is recognised as a strategic driver of decarbonized bioeconomy."

She adds: "The programme addresses the growing demand for scalable, AI-enhanced enzyme solutions acrosssectors such as pharmaceuticals, agri-tech and clean energy. Students will receive training in machine learning, protein design and synthetic biology, supported by national computing infrastructure and hands-on laboratory experience."

Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, BBSRC Executive Chair, comments: "Through these investments, UKRI is strengthening the UK's leadership in critical technologies while creating meaningful opportunities for businesses, researchers and regions across the country. This will equip a new generation of talented researchers with the skills to drive innovation, support high-growth sectors and improve lives."

BioAID is designed to be interdisciplinary from the outset, with projects co-supervised across biosciences, AI, and engineering, with strong industry links through co-designed projects and placements. Students will follow a structured training programme centred on three integrated scientific themes:

• AI-Powered Enzyme Discovery (e.g. metagenomic mining and function prediction)
• AI-Guided Enzyme Design (e.g. customizing enzymes accelerated by ML models)
• AI-Enhanced Enzyme Applications (e.g. scalable biocatalysis in clean manufacturing)

Launching in October 2026, the six-year BioAID programme aims to deliver significant societal and economic benefits by embedding AI-driven biocatalysis innovation within the UK's bioscience talent pipeline.

Media

For media enquiries, contact [email protected]

Share