A post-doctoral position within the field of Metalloenzyme Discovery and Biocatalysis is available at the Department of Engineering at Aarhus University (www.eng.au.dk), Denmark, starting from April 1, 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The position will be contracted for total 2 years.
Discovery of metalloenzymes and engineering for defluorination of PFAS
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have received global public attention because of their persistence, bioaccumulation, mobility in aquatic and soil systems, and possible adverse effects on living organisms. This project proposes a cascade processing strategy based on the reaction course and characteristics of substrates, affording a zero-fluoropollutant emission. New metalloenzymes will be identified and characterized for oxidative defluorination by unzipping long-chain PFAS and following elimination reactions.
The genetic sequencing, mechanism disclosure and structure-function relationships of PFAS-fluoride eliminating enzymes will be investigated by means of in silico or in vitro approaches to harness their catalytic potential for re-design and engineering of enzymes.
The key tasks in this project will be: 1) Database screening and generic screening and mining for discovery of metalloenzymes for defluorination of PFAS; 2) Characterization and structural illustration of promising genotypes of enzymes for defluorination; 3) Mechanism study and enzyme engineering to evolve or redesign variants for improved PFAS-degrading activity, stability and compatibility with photocatalysts.
Qualifications of the candidate
Required Education and Skills:
- Completed PhD in the field of Biochemistry, Biotechnology or relevant
- Strong background in Enzyme discovery and the application of enzymes in biocatalysis
- Practical experience in protein engineering
- Expertise in chemical analysis (especially NMR, MS and isotopic labelling chemistry)
- Self-motivated, pro-active, team- and goal-oriented personality
- Full command of the English language
For further information please contact Associate Professor Zheng Guo and/or Assistant Prof. Zongsu Wei, email:
guo@eng.au.dk, or
zwei@eng.au.dk phone: +45 87155528 or +45 20369097.
A process has been initiated in terms of reorganizing of engineering at Aarhus University. Read more here:
https://eng.au.dk/en/news-and-events/news/show/artikel/new-organisation-to-strengthen-engineering-at-aarhus-university-1/Application procedureShortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.
Letter of referenceIf you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.
Formalities and salary rangeTechnical Sciences refers to the
Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found
here.Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the
Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.
Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Confederation of Professional Associations.
All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.
Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more
here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark
here.
Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it
here.
The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.Aarhus UniversityAarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,000 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 885 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/Deadline: 20 January 2021