Postdoctoral position in Yeast cell factory design

The Industrial Biotechnology group at Chalmers University of Technology is seeking a Post-doc to work on the research project “Cell membrane engineering as a novel target for the improvement of microbial strains for biofuels production”.

Information about the division
The Postdoc position will be associated with the Division of Industrial Biotechnology within the Department of Biology and Biological Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology. The Industrial Biotechnology group is a young, dynamic and international group of researchers established in 2008 and counts now 35 members. The common denominator of the research activities in the group is to optimize the use of renewable raw materials for the sustainable production of fuels, chemicals and materials also within the main concept of biorefinery. The research performed within the group spans from fundamental research, technology development and lab-scale application: this ensures deep knowledge of the studied systems, leading to rational development and optimization of the respective applications. The research fields include production of biofuels and chemicals via fermentation and enzymatic refining of biomass, bioelectrochemical systems and algal biotechnology.

Job description
The main task of the post doc will be to work with cell factory design in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The target for the work will be to construct strains with altered membrane properties ultimately aiming at changing the cellular membrane permeability towards lignocellulose-derived inhibitors. The work will include to define strategies for introducing changes in membrane lipid composition and construct strains. The constructed strains will be characterised for their tolerance and membrane permeability to organic acids and phenolic compounds and this will be correlated to their membrane composition. Deeper investigations on cell membrane composition and membrane properties will also be performed. The project will be in collaboration with a computational chemist that will perform simulations of lipid bilayers to support the targets for changed membrane composition as well as support the interpretation of experimental results.

Qualifications
All candidates must hold a doctoral degree, generally not older than three years, in Biotechnology/Bioengineering, Microbiology, Cell biology or other related disciplines. Experience in molecular biology, pathway engineering and lipid chemistry represent strong advantage factors. Furthermore, some experience in working with yeast physiology is a merit.

The successful candidate will have an outstanding academic track record and have published first authored papers in internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals. Important qualities are enthusiasm, to be able to drive and conclude projects independently, take own initiatives and discuss/develop own ideas, be creative and have a problem-solving ability. The project is in collaboration with other researchers and thus excellent cooperation and social abilities are highly important. Good communication skills in English are necessary as English is the primary language in our laboratory. If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers can offer Swedish courses.

Chalmers continuously strives to be an attractive employer. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20160597 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as pdf-files, as below:


• Application: (Please name the document in the e-recruitment system as: APPLICATION, Surname, reference number)
- CV, include complete list of publications
- Previous teaching and pedagogical experiences
- Two references that we can contact.
• Personal letter/Qualifications: (Please name the document as: QUALIFICATIONS, family name, ref. number) 
- 1-3 pages where you introduce yourself and present your qualifications.
- Previous research fields and main research results.
- Future goals and research focus. Are there any specific projects and research issues you are primarily interested in?
• Other:
- Attested copies of completed education, grades and other certificates.

Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. The files may be compressed (zipped).

Application deadline: 27 January 2017

For questions, please contact:
Prof. Lisbeth Olsson
Dept. of Biology and Biological Engineering - Industrial Biotechnology
Phone: +46 31 772 3805, e-mail: lisbeth.olsson@chalmers.se


*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***