PhD Yeast Research

Heriot-Watt University

Yeast physiology with a distinct molecular biological basis is a major research area within Life Sciences and the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD). Many projects relate to the behaviour of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in brewery and distillery fermentations and include the genetics and biochemistry of sugar uptake in yeast, the regulation of ester production during fermentation, the effect of metal ions on yeast fermentation performance, the uptake and metabolism of sulphate, the stress effects of high gravity brewing, and the influence of acid washing on yeast quality.Research projectsThe ICBD was a partner in a collaborative project to develop the first genetically modified brewing yeast approved for production use in the UK. Researchers are also using yeast to detect mutagenic chemicals in food. Factors that influence beer and spirit instability and flavour are also being studied.In addition to the applied research on yeast, the group also studies yeast, as a model eukaryote, to answer fundamental biological questions. For example, the response of organisms to environmental stress, the ageing process and enzyme structure/function relationships, in particular an enzyme which produces an essential substrate for nucleotide and amino acid metabolism.

School of Engineering and Physical Sciences