Job offer – Post-doct enzyme screening and engineering project
The PICT-ICEO platform and the Catalysis and Enzymatic Molecular Engineering team at the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute (TBI) are looking to recruit a post-doctoral student for a project involving the screening and engineering of enzymes to facilitate the recycling and recovery of building materials. For this 2-year project, in collaboration with the St Gobain group, skills in enzyme engineering and molecular modelling are required.
ENVIRONMENT
A post-doctoral position is available at theToulouse Biotechnology Institute (TBI) located on the groundsof the INSA-Toulouse (France). The laboratory is affiliated to the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS,UMR INSA-CNRS 5504) and the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAe,UMR INSA-INRAe 792). TBI is an interdisciplinary research laboratory of 350 people that develops its research activity at the interface between life sciences and process sciences, with focus on catalysis and enzyme engineering, systemic and synthetic biology, fermentation, process engineering and eco-design (https://www.toulouse-biotechnology-institute.fr/en/).
The candidate will work in the Enzyme Catalysis and Molecular Engineering team that holds a strong expertise in enzyme engineering and synthetic biology.This project will be led in collaboration with the Saint-Gobain Group (https://www.saint-gobain.com/fr) which aims to design, produce and distribute materials and solutions for the construction, mobility, healthcare and otherindustrial applications markets. Developed through a dynamic process of continuous innovation, these materials provide comfort, performance and safety, while meeting the challenges of sustainable construction, efficient resource management and the fight against climate change. Located in Aubervilliers (93) in the Paris region, Saint-Gobain Research Paris (https://www.sgr-paris.saint-gobain.com/) is one of the Saint-Gobain Group’s eight major cross-functional research centers. Its role is to carry out studies and research programs in all areas likely to be of interest to the Saint-Gobain Group’s activities.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The successful candidate will be part of a 24-month joint research action between TBI and Saint-Gobain,aiming at evaluating the use of enzymes to facilitate the recycling and disposal of construction materials.The project will aim to (1) mine sequence databases to select suitable candidates for the targeted activities, (2) produce and purify these enzymes, (3) characterize and evaluate them as close as possible to their final application, and (4) use a combination of computational biology and directed evolution approaches to optimize and better control the activities of the best catalysts.
The candidate will be in charge of the enzyme engineering strategies, the construction of strains, development of screening protocols, and biochemical and analytical characterization. She/he will benefit from a multidisciplinary environment with access to High-Throughput Screening (HTS) (PICT-ICEO facility) and analytical equipment. She/he will have frequent and strong interactions with other scientists involved in computational enzyme design and modelling. She/he will also have the opportunity to get in close contact with the end application through regular exchanges with the industrial partner Saint-Gobain.The successful candidate will be based at TBI, Toulouse (31), France.
QUALIFICATIONS
We are searching for an enthusiastic scientist with a PhD in protein chemistry, molecular biology, or related field. Experience with bioinformatics, computational modeling, microbial cultivation and HTS would be an asset. She/he will need to be able to conduct independent research, plan and execute experiments, write research reports, and have strong communication skills.
The position is available from December 2023 for a duration of up to 24 months.
Applicants should send as soon as possible CV, summary of previous research and contact addresses of two references to:
- magali.remaud[@]insa-toulouse.fr
- isabelle.andre[@]insa-toulouse.fr
- sophie.bozonnet[@]insa-toulouse.fr
- lionel.ferrieres[@]saint-gobain.com