PhD student position on Biotechnology solutions for fungal infections

This role offers a unique opportunity to tackle the critical challenge of fungal infections by developing innovative diagnostic methods and potential therapeutic agents using cutting-edge biotechnology. As a PhD student, you will engage in pioneering research on fungal-based molecules with potential health benefits, supported by state-of-the-art infrastructure and a diverse, multidisciplinary team.

This position not only promises to advance your scientific skills through hands-on research, experimentation, and scientific communication but also enables you to contribute to meaningful advancements in human health.

Project description
In the past decade, fungal diseases have caused an estimated million deaths annually, and over one billion people suffer from severe fungal infections. Currently, there are few antifungal drugs approved for use in humans. The last antifungals approved for human use were characterized in 2002. On another hand, the timely detection of fungal infections remains challenging, and there is a need for the development of faster diagnostic assay methods.

The project will implement cutting-edge integrated fungal biotechnology to produce and characterize fungal-based molecules with potential immunomodulatory effects in cells of the human innate immune system, e.g., macrophages. The findings will provide an initial indication of their potential health-promoting benefits expecting to correlate the molecular structure of the oligomers based on a glycomic approach (enzymatic fingerprint coupled to mass spectrometry) to their immune response in human cells. The project includes a complete characterization of the fungal molecules obtained from the pathogen's cell wall to ensure that these can be used in future studies to improve diagnosis and prevent fungal infections in humans.

Information about the division and the department
The project will take place at The department of Life sciences (LIFE) and the Division of Industrial Biotechnology (IndBio) under the supervision of Assistant Professor Amparo Jimenez Quero. IndBio is an interdisciplinary group with appr 45 international researchers focusing on microbiology, enzymology, and molecular biology. Our goal is to use renewable resources for sustainable production of fuels, chemicals, and materials, contributing to a sustainable society and circular economy. LIFE consists of 5 divisions, and here you find potential collaborators as well as a range of scientific instruments, expertise and lab infrastructure. The PhD project will also offer a close collaboration with groups at Stockholm University, KTH and SciLifeLab in Stockholm.

Major responsibilities
As PhD student the main time of your working appointment is devoted to your research project, where you will be responsible for planing, running experiments and evaluation the scientific outcome. You are also expected to communicate your results in different settings, group and division meetings at Chalmers but also external events as workshop and conferences. You are also expected to develop scientific writing skills by the preparation of articles for publication in high impact journals and participate in international conferences. Moreover, you will also contribute to teaching and supervision of undergraduate students.

Read more about doctoral studies at Chalmers here.

Qualifications
The successful candidate must have a master degree corresponding to at least 240 high education credits in Medical Biotechnology, Biomedicine or Applied Chemistry. Laboratory experience in fungal biotechnology or microbial medicine is meritorious but most importantly your aim to work in multidisciplinary PhD project. Good communication in English verbal and written is required.

Contract terms
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg. 
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with reference number 20240405 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

CV: (Please name the document: CV, Family name, reference number)
• CV
• Other, for example previous employments or leadership qualifications and positions of trust.
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, ref.number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, any other research activities)
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

Other documents:
• Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis.
• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates, e.g. TOEFL test results.

Use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. 

Please note: The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered.


Application deadline: 2024-08-19



For questions, please contact:
Assistant Professor Amparo Jimenez-Quero,
amparo@chalmers.se