Doctoral student in Biocatalysis: Scale-up for sustainable enzyme chemistry - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Project description

Third-cycle subject: : Biotechnology

The utilization and adaptation of Nature’s tools for sustainable manufacturing of chemical products is a fast-developing research field and methods for enzyme design have recently been awarded a Nobel prize in chemistry. The design of enzymes requires both a fundamental molecular-level understanding and engineering skills.

We are studying a type of industrial enzymes called transaminases and we are now looking for a doctoral student for a new project to explore the stability of these enzymes with protein engineering tools. The stability studies will be integrated with scale-up experiments in the unique infrastructure at Danish Technical University (DTU). We are looking for a candidate with a large interest and experience of applied enzymology, molecular biology and organic chemistry.

The work in the project will be carried out at department of industrial biotechnology, KTH, Stockholm, in collaboration with DTU, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark. Some part of the project will be carried out in Denmark. The project is financed by KTH as a part of the development of the collaboration with strategic partner universities.

Supervision: Professor Per Berglund is proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission

What we offer

• The possibility to study in a dynamic and international research environment in collaboration with industries and prominent universities from all over the world.Read more
• A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement.
• A postgraduate education at an institution that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment.
• Work and study in Stockholm, close to nature and the water.
• Help to relocate and be settled in Sweden and at KTH.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master's degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge

In addition to the above, to be admitted to third-cycle education in the subject Biotechnology, the applicant must have approved courses of at least 60 ECTS credits at least at the advanced level in the subject Biotechnology or other subjects that are judged to be directly relevant to the current specialisation. These requirements are also considered to be met by those who have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge by other means.

There is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6, read more here

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyse and work with complex issues.

Experience with enzymology, organic chemistry and with molecular biology work is required.

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal competency. 

Target degree: Doctoral degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years ' time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Union representatives

You will find contact information for union representatives on KTH's website.

Doctoral section (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

You will find contact information for doctoral section on the section's website.

Application

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/entral European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages.Copies of originals must be certified.
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other information

Striving towards gender equality, diversity and equal conditions is both a question of quality for KTH and a given part of our values.

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process please read here.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.