The assembly, structure, and properties of novel iron and other metal nano-clusters in the cleft of the protein bacterial transferring will be investigated. The work is of high significance for understanding iron uptake by pathogenic bacteria and the mechanisms of bio-mineralization. Small protein-bound oxo iron clusters are of potential importance in the design of novel materials with unusual magnetic and catalytic properties, and of novel antibiotics. This bioinorganic chemistry project will be highly interdisciplinary, crossing the boundaries of inorganic chemistry, biology, biophysics, medicine and materials science.The host institution is well equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for the proposed project either directly within the School of Chemistry in Edinburgh or in associated centres, e.g. Edinburgh Protein Interaction Centre (EPIC), Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology (ICMB), Scottish Centre for Genomic Technology and Informatics (GTI), Collaborative Optical Spectroscopy and Micromanipulation Centre (COSMIC), Institute for Integrated Micro and Nano Systems (IMNS), Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions (CSEC), and the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Proteomic Technology (Radical Solutions for Researching the Proteome, RASOR). Mobility to the host country under the supervision of Professor Sadler and visits to the laboratories of European collaborators will provide the applicant with unique training for an independent future career in academia or industry.The applicant will learn to establish a programme as an independent research worker, acquire new cutting-edge skills, participate in multicultural research teams, experience the benefits of cultural diversity and acquire an international profile for his career. The project will have a significant impact on scientific and technological links between Europe and India, in particular with the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, the host for the reintegration year.