Postdoctoral Fellow in Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Job description

We are looking for a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow in Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering to join a young, independent research group in the Department of Industrial Biotechnology. You will develop innovative biocatalytic solutions for a range of highly relevant organic syntheses by combining enzyme mining, engineering and establishing multistep cascades on an analytical and preparative scale. Your research activities will advance new enzyme-catalysed transformations that you will implement in the synthesis of fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and new modalities.

The Department of Industrial Biotechnology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology provides societally relevant biotechnological solutions for sustainable production of pharmaceuticals, chemicals, materials and fuels. Our research group focuses on the development of enzyme catalysts to become viable tools for organic synthesis. We aim to establish and engineer new biocatalytic methodologies towards industrially relevant transformations, e.g., C-N, C-C, and C-O bond syntheses, enabling applications in chemical manufacturing platforms. Our research efforts utilise interdisciplinary approaches including biochemistry, organic chemistry, protein engineering, enzymology, as well as computational-based approaches, aspiring next generation biocatalysts for green chemistry applications.

The job includes the following research activities:

• Enzyme discovery, mining and characterisation
• Enzyme engineering: Rational design and directed evolution towards improved stability and robustness, wider substrate scope, altered selectivity and reactivity, for instance.
• High-throughput screening of enzyme libraries and development of enzyme assays
• Development and optimisation of multi-enzyme cascades
• Up-scaling of biotransformations, isolation and characterization of reaction products
• Synthesis of substrates and building blocks where necessary

Further activities:

The postdoctoral researcher will disseminate the project results through scientific publications and oral presentations, as well as communicate scientific progress within the department and with collaborators from academia and industry.

The postdoctoral researcher will contribute to the supervision of master and PhD students, as well as become involved in teaching and supervision of laboratory courses in the department’s master programme on biotechnology. The selected candidate will assist with applications for suitable research grants and support the management of a research laboratory.

What we offer

• A position at a leading technical university that generates knowledge and skills for a sustainable future
• Engaged and ambitious colleagues along with a creative, international and dynamic working environment
• Work in Stockholm, in close proximity to nature
• Help to relocate and be settled in Sweden and at KTH
• An innovative and communicative research environment
• Room to develop research creativity
• High interdisciplinarity and opportunities to broaden your research skillset
• Opportunities for career development

Read more about what it is like to work at KTH

Qualifications

Requirements

• A doctoral degree in biochemistry, chemistry, biotechnology or equivalent or an equivalent foreign degree. This eligibility requirement must be met no later than the time the employment decision is made.
• Demonstrated theoretical and practical experience in biocatalysis, i.e., development of biocatalytic processes, experience of applying, optimising, and engineering enzymes for organic synthesis.
• A publication record in the wider area of enzyme catalysis
• Specific experience of developing cascade reactions
• Profound knowledge of microbiological techniques, molecular biology and recombinant expression techniques using E. coli strains along with practical experience of protein purification strategies.
• Thorough knowledge of enzyme activity assays and experience of state-of-the-art analytical techniques for enzyme screening: Liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, mass spectrometry
• Excellent communication skills, including fluency in spoken and written English as it is used frequently at the department
• Ability to work collaboratively and independently within an interdisciplinary group   
• Good time management skills and organisational abilities
• Previous experience of supervision of students in laboratory courses and/or bachelor/master projects
• The candidate has personal integrity, high collaboration skills, focuses on goals and results, is persistent and sees the bigger picture

Preferred qualifications

• A doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree, obtained within the last three years prior to the application deadline
• Awareness of diversity and equal opportunity issues, with specific focus on gender equality.
• Awareness of sustainable development and green chemistry.
• The candidate has personal maturity, is independent, takes initiative and is energetic.
• Basic knowledge of bioinformatic techniques, e.g., sequence alignment, protein modelling, molecular docking and suitable software tools
• Experience of organic synthesis techniques, compound purification and characterisation by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Great emphasis will be placed on personal skills.

Trade union representatives

You will find contact information to trade union representatives at KTH's webbpage.

To apply for the position

Log into KTH's recruitment system in order to apply for this position. You are the main responsible to ensure that your application is complete according to the ad. 

The application must be written in English and include:

• Cover letter (max. 1 page) and a statement of motivation (max. 1 page) outlining your interest in this position and how it relates to your previous studies and future goals.
• CV including professional experience, educational background, knowledge/ research skills and a list of publications (max. 2 pages).
• Copy of diplomas and grades from your previous university studies. Translations into English or Swedish if the original documents have not been issued in any of these languages.
• Contact information of three references. 

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).

About the employment

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.

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.

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