Postdoctoral Researcher in the area of Engineered Living Materials

Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future. Aalto has six schools with nearly 11 000 students and a staff of more than 4000, of which 400 are professors. Our main campus is located in Espoo, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.

The Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems at the Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering is looking for a

Postdoctoral Researcher in the area of Engineered Living Materials

Natural biological materials synthesized by cells with preprogramed genetic rules using simple raw materials provide sustainable and biodegradable products widely used in the society. Despite of the impressive traits, limited utility of natural materials restricts their application in next generation advanced materials. Cells are considered as nanomaterial factories, raising a critical point, can microbes be programmed as nanomaterial factories to create novel and beneficial biological materials? This is addressed by the emerging field of biological Engineered Living Materials, interfacing between microbiology, synthetic biology and material science themes.

A Postdoctoral Researcher position, in connection to project on designing bacterial nanocellulose based Engineered Living Materials, is now open in the Biomolecular Materials research group, led by Professor Markus Linder. The project focusses on studying the molecular mechanisms involved in protein secretion in Komagataeibacter spp., native nanocellulose producing bacteria, to develop a functional material for polyethylene terephthalate depolymerization.

Your role and goals

We are searching for a Postdoctoral Researcher to support us in studying native and designing heterologous recombinant protein secretion in K. rhaeticus for synthetic biology applications. Your role includes planning and conducting genetic engineering experiments, developing cellulose-based protein purification and related protein analytics, writing and publishing high-quality papers, and interacting with other team members and collaborators from different fields.

The position maybe especially suitable for researchers with solid background in molecular biotechnology with prior experience in bacterial protein secretion systems. You will also have a chance to instruct the work of PhD candidates and to develop towards a more independent position.

Your network and team

The position is based at the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems of Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering (Otaniemi Campus, Espoo, Finland), in the Biomolecular Materials group (https://www.aalto.fi/en/department-of-bioproducts-and-biosystems/biomolecular-materials ). The research group focuses in elucidating the fundamental aspects of biomaterial function and interactions, and employs synthetic biology strategies to design biomaterial with novel properties. The Biomolecular Materials group is member of Center of Excellence in Life-Inspired Hybrid Materials (LIBER, https://www.aalto.fi/en/liber ), funded by Academy of Finland’s Center of Excellence Programme (2022-2029). The LIBER consortium, comprising of eight multidisciplinary research groups from Aalto University, VTT and Tampere University, aims in creating dynamic and soft hybrid materials with capability to learn, adapt or response to the environment.

Your background and expertise

Required qualifications

• PhD degree in biotechnology, biochemistry or in a related field, obtained during the past 5 years (excluding parental leaves or similar absences).

• Solid experience in molecular biology/biotechnology, microbiology, and protein analytics.

• Strong record of scientific productivity with publications in internationally renowned journals.

• Competence to pursue independent scientific work.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

Desired previous expertise considered as advantage

• Bacterial protein secretion systems.

• Protein, genome, and pathway engineering.

• Ability to supervise M.Sc. and Ph.D. students.

We are searching for an active person with good interaction skills and interdisciplinary mindset.

What we offer

The salary is defined according to the salary system of Finnish universities. The expected starting salary for a Postdoctoral Researcher is 3560 €/month.  The position will be filled for a fixed-term period of 2 years. The planned starting date is 1st November 2022. A trial period of six months applies to all our new employees. The contract includes occupational health care, and Finland has a comprehensive social security system. Aalto University provides excellent learning and development opportunities, commuter ticket benefit, and versatile exercise services offered with staff discount by UniSport.

Additional information

For additional information regarding the position, please contact Professor Markus Linder or Academy Research Fellow Rahul Mangayil. For questions on the recruitment process, please contact HR Coordinator Tiina Torvinen. Emails: [email protected].

How to apply

Please submit your application through our online recruitment system by using the link on Aalto University’s web page ("Apply now!”).

Aalto University’s employees and visitors please note: you should apply for the position via our internal system Workday -> Internal jobs -> find jobs (not external aalto.fi webpage on open positions) by using your existing Workday user account.

To apply, please include the following documents in English and in PDF format:

• Motivation letter (max. one A4)

• Curriculum Vitae (including a list of publications)

• Doctoral degree certificate

• Two letters of recommendation

The call for applications is open until 21st October, 2022. Our selection process is continuous and the advert may close before the recruitment process is completed if we have moved forward to the screening or interview phase.

We will start the recruiting process already during the application period and fill the position as soon as a suitable candidate has been found. We aim to identify the suitable candidate at latest by the end of October, and the employment would ideally start in November 2022.

Want to know more about us and your future colleagues? You can watch these videos: Aalto University – Towards a better world , Aalto People , and Shaping a Sustainable Future . And this webpage about Aalto and Finland. https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/welcome-to-aalto-university-and-finland... . Check out our new virtual campus experience: https://virtualtour.aalto.fi/ .

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