Background
Biocatalytic synthesis is a promising approach for producing valuable oligosaccharides that have applications in the pharmaceutical and food industries. The team for synthetic biotechnology at Max Planck Institute for Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg has developed multiple enzymatic cascade reactions for the synthesis of activated sugar building blocks. In this master project, the focus will be on the development of a process based on these enzymatic cascade reactions. To this end, tasks like screening, optimization, up scaling, downstream processing and analytics have to be addressed.
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate (m/f/d), with excellent knowledge on biotechnology and comfortable working both independently and in a team.
The working packages of the project are
- Bacterial cultivation for the production of biocatalysts in litre scale
- Strain production by using state-of-the-art vector systems
- Upscaling of the biocatalytic synthesis of one selected oligosaccharide
- Downstream processing of the reaction product
- Analytics with HPAEC-UV/PAD
Candidates will have the opportunity to work on key technologies and use state-of-the-art equipment in an international group of both experienced and aspiring researchers. In addition, MPI staff will provide in-depth supervision and training.
Requirements
- Background in Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, Process Engineering, Chemical Engineering
- Experience with lab work and ideally, experience with one of the following techniques: recombinant protein expression, bioreactor fermentation, chromatography, biocatalysis, downstream processing
- Structured and independent working ethic
- Good communication skills in the English language
- Teamwork, motivation and interest in applied science
We offer
- Exciting research projects and the opportunity to work with key technologies
- Professional supervision by an experienced team
- Hands on experience in the fields of biocatalysis, downstream processing, enzyme expression and reaction analytics
Application
Please send your application in English and include your CV and transcript of records to the contact below. The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply.
Start
autumn / winter 2023
Contact
Edgar Alberto Alcalá Orozco, M.Sc.
alcalaorozco@mpi-magdeburg.mpg.de
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