Postdoctoral position in Yeast Metabolic Engineering

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering promotes research and education for sustainable development, for improved health and quality of life. Our research ranges from natural science and bioscience, applied chemistry and biotechnology to chemical engineering. Our educational programs are characterized by technological solutions for improving people’s everyday life, and are continuously developed for meeting and promoting societal and industrial development.

We have approximately 380 employees, divided into five research divisions and one administrative unit. We are situated at campus Johanneberg.

Our department is characterized by stimulation of world leading research, in an environment where people develop and create new knowledge.Information about the project
The Industrial Biotechnology group at Chalmers University of Technology is seeking a Post-doc to work on the research project “Metabolic engineering of redox metabolism for robust industrial yeast strains”. The project will be carried out within the activities of the Chalmers Energy Initiative- Biochemical conversion of Biomass research task.

Ground-breaking work on the effect of lignocellulose hydrolysate inhibitors on cellular metabolism has been recently performed within our group. We have obtained new strains engineered for higher redox robustness, which display increased robustness in lignocellulosic material fermentation. The results appear to have a high degree of novelty and to be very promising. We are looking for an ambitious and publication-oriented scientist to perform a metabolic engineering project for enhanced yeast redox metabolism and the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying the increased robustness of the new strains.

The Industrial Biotechnology group is a very young, dynamic and international group which was established in 2008 and counts now 25 members. The main research fields in which the group is involved are production of biofuels and chemicals via fermentation and enzymatic refining of plant material. In the fermentation field we do detailed physiological studies using systems biology tools. Studies on bioelectrochemical systems and production of algal biomass complement the research activities of the group within the main concept of biorefinery. The research performed within the group spans from fundamental research, technology development and lab-scale application.

Major responsibilities
Your major responsibility as postdoc is to perform your own research in a research group. The position also includes teaching on undergraduate and master's levels as well as supervising master's and/or PhD students to a certain extent. Another important aspect involves collaboration within academia and with society at large. The position is meritorious for future research duties within academia as well as industry/the public sector.

Position summary
Full-time temporary employment. It is a 1-year position.

Qualifications
To qualify for the position of postdoc, you must have a doctoral degree in in biotechnology, chemical/biochemical engineering, microbiology or related disciplines; the degree should generally not be older than three years. You are expected to be somewhat accustomed to teaching, and to demonstrate good potential within research and education.

Applicants with experience in metabolic engineering techniques will be preferred.
Fluency in English, both written and verbal, is a must.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20130193 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically via Chalmers webpage.

Application deadline: September 1, 2013

For questions, please contact:

Maurizio Bettiga
Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering - Industrial Biotechnology
Phone: +46 31 772 3852, e-mail maurizio.bettiga@chalmers.se 

or 
Professor Lisbeth Olsson (group leader),
Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering - Industrial Biotechnology
Phone: +46 31 772 3805, e-mail: lisbeth.olsson@chalmers.se





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