Postdoc in discovery & engineering of heat-stable biomass-degrading enzymes
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
State University, Browse similar opportunities
en
State University, Browse similar opportunities
KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has grown to become one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, as well as a key centre of intellectual talent and innovation. We are Sweden’s largest technical research and learning institution and home to students, researchers and faculty from around the world. Our research and education covers a wide area including natural sciences and all branches of engineering, as well as architecture, industrial management, urban planning, history and philosophy.
You will work on a project funded by Energimyndigheten, the Swedish Energy Agency. We have recently found that certain small protein domains can enhance the stability of carbohydrate-degrading enzymes. These domains convey appended enzymes with thermostability and prolonged duration of activity. Our goals are to discover new examples of these stabilising domains, to characterise the biophysical properties of the enzymes to which they are naturally appended, and to use them to engineer new enzymes with enhanced heat- and process-stability for biomass degradation in energy production. You will be building on preliminary data gathered by Lauren McKee, the supervisor of this project. You will work closely with other members of the KTH Division of Glycoscience, especially the current members of Lauren’s group. You can read about Lauren and her research here and here. Contact her directly (mckee@kth.se) with questions about this position.
You will perform research tasks on this project: gene discovery and cloning, production and purification of recombinant proteins, assays of enzyme activity and stability, biomass saccharification tests, and design of new enzyme constructs. You will be involved in the writing of manuscripts and any patent applications that derive from this work, as well as assisting in administrative project management. Research duties will include working in a multi-disciplinary team, presenting your work at meetings and conferences, planning your time in the lab, and managing your data. You will be encouraged to share your results with the wider world via popular science writing, if you wish to.
You will be encouraged to assist in the training and supervision of Master’s thesis students and research interns. No more than 20% of the postdoc’s time may be devoted to educational duties.
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Requirements
Preferred qualifications
When assessing candidates, a great emphasis will be placed on personal competency. You should have sufficient research experience to be able to work independently after initial discussion. You should be able to plan your own time, keep to deadlines, and generate data in an efficient and timely manner. It is preferable if you have experience of supervising Master’s or Bachelor’s students, and some competence in teaching is desirable.
You must have specific research skills relevant to the project, as well as relevant specific subject knowledge. The project will focus on developing tools for bioenergy and biomass utilisation, in line with the goal of moving towards a sustainable circular bioeconomy; it is therefore highly desirable that you possess advanced knowledge of sustainable development issues.
You will be joining a Division that is highly diverse in terms of age, educational background, gender, and country of origin. You will be expected to work collaboratively within this setting and, as you will also be contributing to student instruction and supervision, it is essential that you are sensitive to the importance of diversity, equity, and equal opportunity in education and employment.
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Your complete application must be received at KTH no later than the last day of application, midnight CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).
The position offered is for, at the most, two years.
A position as a postdoctoral fellow is a time-limited qualified appointment focusing mainly on research, intended as a first career step after a dissertation.
Striving towards gender equality, diversity and equal conditions is both a question of quality for KTH and a given part of our values.
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