Open positions

Professor Emma Master from Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry,
University of Toronto is recruiting recent graduates for two postdoctoral positions and one PhD student position for "Bio-derived HIgh Value polymers through novel Enzyme function" project that I will initiate at Aalto University this autumn.

Duration: Up to 5 years
Full/Part time: Full-Time
Department: Department of Biotechnology and Chemical Technology, Aalto University
Start date: September 1, 2015 (negotiable)
Funding source: ERC Consolidator program

Program Overview:
The 21st century has been coined the “Golden Age of Biology”, where society increasingly
benefits from system-wide analysis of cells and organisms enabled by the emergence of omics technologies (i.e. large-scale DNA, RNA and protein sequencing platforms), along with improved and automated systems for genetic engineering and data analysis. At the same time, it is clear that this century will be judged by how well we respond to urgent calls for more sustainable human lifestyles and enterprise.
Given this context, a compelling possibility is to harness the enormous volumes of data
generated through omic analyses, to create biological processes that expand what can be made from renewable plant sources. BHIVE will contribute to this global effort by breaking new ground in the discovery of bioprocesses relevant to the synthesis of renewable bioproducts.
More specifically, BHIVE will direct undivided focus to mining for unique lignocellulose-active proteins buried within the 30-40% of un-annotated gene products typical of nearly all genome,transcriptome and proteome sequences. The approach will include three parallel research thrusts: 1) judicious analysis of transcriptome and metagenome sequences to identify proteins with entirely unknown function relevant to lignocellulose transformation, 2) mapping of uncharted regions within poorly characterized enzyme families with recognized potential to modify the chemistry and biophysical properties of lignocellulose components, and 3) the design and development of unique enzyme screens to directly address the increasing limitations of existing assays to uncover entirely new protein functions.

Preferred training: carbohydrate chemistry and/or biochemistry of carbohydrate active
enzymes. Additional preferred skills include structural biology, protein production and recovery, bioinformatics, and analytical chemistry.

Additional required skills and attributes: strong scientific writing and oral skills (English),
ability to work well both independently and as part of a collaborative team, resourcefulness and dependability.

Interested applicants are asked to send a cover letter and CV to Professor E. R. Master at:
emma.master@utoronto.ca or emma.master@aalto.fi