Category Archives: Jobs

PhD position available: Stable enzyme technologies for a sustainable bioeconomy

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Note: the application process for this position closed in April 2025.

In brief: We have a PhD position available in our group, ideally to start in the autumn of 2025. Email Lauren with questions. Full details below.

Scientific goals: This doctoral research project focuses on the discovery, characterisation, engineering, and application of carbohydrate-active enzymes of microbial origin. We aim to explore the diversity of enzymes encoded by industrial and environmental microbes. Our goal is to understand their activities and stability, to explore their application in industrial bioprocesses. This fundamental research project will involve molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology, and enzyme engineering. In addition, structural analysis of carbohydrates will be required. There is scope for creativity in this project, which can touch on diverse bioprocesses related to food, fuel, materials, and waste management. You will work closely with researchers at the Division of Glycoscience, the Stockholm CAZyme Laboratory, Chalmers University (co-supervisor will be Assoc Prof Johan Larsbrink), industrial partners in Sweden, and international collaborators.

Where we work: KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm is one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, as well as a key centre of intellectual talent and innovation. We are Sweden’s largest technical research and learning institution and home to students, researchers, and faculty from around the world. Our research and education covers a wide area including natural sciences and all branches of engineering, as well as architecture, industrial management, urban planning, history and philosophy. The Division of Glycoscience is a multi-disciplinary department focussed on solving environmental and industrial challenges relating to sustainable production and usage of renewable natural resources, as well as advancing fundamental knowledge of complex carbohydrates.

The broader context: This project is supported by a grant the Swedish Research Council Vetenskapsrådet and builds on recent work in our group looking at the stabilisation of carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) by non-catalytic appended accessory domains. In recent years we have generated much fundamental knowledge that now needs to be synthesised in a broad study to test the activity and stability of a large number of enzymes, to test our hypotheses. Our hope is to come to a sound understanding of inter-domain interactions and stabilising effects in order to design new molecular biology tools for enzyme stabilisation. As stable biocatalysts are needed in a range of different industries, this can have relevance for a number of aspects of the sustainable bioeconomy. You will join new and existing collaborations with (inter)national groups and we will together plan research visits

Education and skills development: Within the experimental work, you will gain or deepen skills in molecular biology, enzyme characterisation, carbohydrate chemistry, and protein engineering. Alongside your research, you will take doctoral courses at KTH and other Swedish universities, including online learning, lectures, and short lab projects. In addition, you will receive formal training in scientific writing and data visualisation. As part of your research, we will help you to write funding proposals to access additional financial support for travel and experimentation, giving you an even broader range of experience in science communication. I will also encourage you to write semi-regular pieces for this blog and to use other online channels to communicate with the public about your research.

Responsibilities as a PhD student: Your primary responsibility will of course be to advance the research project and to complete sufficient doctoral-level courses to earn the 60 credits you need to graduate. Your supervisors will help you to make sure you achieve these goals on time. In addition, you will spend up to 10 % of your time on Division/Departmental duties such as being responsible for a piece of equipment in the lab. Finally, you will take part in teaching younger students. The details of teaching are decided once the PhD has begun and the amount of teaching you do will be balanced against your other roles, but typically you will do some combination of lab teaching in a course for 1 or 2 years, supervising 1 or 2 MSc thesis students, and supervising 1 or 2 groups of BSc thesis students.

Eligibility for the position: To be eligible for this position, you should have a Master of Science or Engineering degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject area such as biotechnology. You should have completed a practical research-based (wet lab) thesis project. Documented proof of experience in areas such as molecular biology, biochemistry, and enzyme characterisation is appreciated but not necessarily required. Please email Lauren (find my email address at my KTH profile page) if you have queries about your eligibility for the role.

How to apply: You can find further specific details about this position on the official advert, available at this link: apply here. Please note that applications can only be considered if they are made through the KTH application portal, linked at the bottom of the advert. Informal applications made by email will not be considered. However, you are welcome to email Lauren if you have questions or are curious about this position.

Post-doctoral position available: Defining the material properties of a fully bio-based hydrogel

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Note: the application process for this position closed in October 2023.

Note: this is a scholarship position funded by the Carl Trygger Foundation. The successful applicant will be the direct recipient of a tax-free stipend. As such, for tax reasons, it is not possible for current or recent employees (i.e. PhD students or post-docs) of KTH Royal Institute of Technology to apply for this position. Sorry!! Please read the following in its entirety before getting in touch…

In brief: We have a post-doctoral position available in our group, with a start date of early 2024, focussed on hydrogel characterisation. Full details below. The position offered is for, at the most, two years. Email Lauren McKee with questions. To apply, send the following items to Lauren by email: a 2-page CV, a 2-page cover letter detailing your previous scientific work experience and your interest in this position, and contact information for at least two referees. Application deadline October 16th.

Scientific goals: We have developed a new method to produce hydrogels from polysaccharides that avoids the chemical synthesis and fossil-based polymers often used in current manufacture. Using small proteins that bind to specific carbohydrates, we can produce viscous formulations and stable hydrogels in mild conditions by cross-linking polysaccharides. This represents a sustainable route to biomaterials formation, promoting materials innovation and a transition to a circular economy.

A hydrogel is a cross-linked matrix of long polymer chains locked into place in a network structure that holds large amounts of water, and is highly absorbent. While the hydrogels used in many applications are still made using synthetic or fossil-derived polymers, manufacturers are increasingly searching for sustainable alternatives, and are turning to biological polymers as a viable alternative. Polysaccharides are an excellent choice, but there is often a need for chemical modification to induce cross-linking and gel formation. Our protein-mediated system avoids this problem.

We have come a long way in understanding the biochemical aspects of our system. To progress beyond this stage, our team of enzymologists and molecular biologists needs to be joined by an expert in materials science and polymer chemistry. This post-doctoral scholar will characterise our hydrogel and optimise our production process, with both material quality and process sustainability in mind, to develop specific product ideas that can be tested at lab scale. We recently installed an advanced HR-20 rheometer, so there will be an emphasis on rheology and viscometry, but a wide range of hydrogel characterisation techniques will be needed.

Where we work: KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm is one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, as well as a key centre of intellectual talent and innovation. We are Sweden’s largest technical research and learning institution, home to students, researchers, and faculty from around the world. Our research and education cover a wide area including natural sciences and all branches of engineering, as well as architecture, industrial management, urban planning, history, and philosophy. The Division of Glycoscience is a multi-disciplinary department focussed on solving environmental and industrial challenges relating to sustainable production and usage of renewable natural resources, as well as advancing fundamental knowledge of complex carbohydrates.

Training and skills development: A position as a postdoctoral scholar is a time-limited qualified appointment focussing mainly on research, intended as a first career step after a doctoral dissertation. You will be invited to take part in the co-supervision of Master’s thesis students, gaining experience in the training of younger researchers. You will be using soft material characterisation skills gained during your doctoral studies, but you will also be encouraged to learn new analytical skills through collaboration or formal training courses. This position will also be a step up in independence, as you will be responsible for proposing appropriate experiments and developing protocols for our group.

Responsibilities as a post-doctoral scholar: You will bring experience in soft materials characterisation, and you will be expected to both suggest and perform the most suitable experiments to characterise the materials. Our goals are to understand the intrinsic properties and potential uses of our materials, and to benchmark them against other materials. You will be encouraged to identify relevant infrastructure at other laboratories in Stockholm/Sweden and to initiate collaborative contact with relevant groups. You will also be jointly responsible for maintenance and upkeep of our rheometry equipment, and to train other users of the machine.

Eligibility for the position: You must have a doctoral degree or equivalent qualification, obtained within the last three years prior to the application deadline. Relevant topics include polymer chemistry and materials science, though you must have experience of working with biological polymers such as proteins and/or polysaccharides. Some awareness and training in biochemistry is a merit. You should be skilled in the characterisation of soft materials such as hydrogels for diverse applications. You should have a strong understanding of sustainable development and its relevance for this field. You must have strong written and oral communication skills in the English language. You should have a good ability to work independently and as part of a team.

How to apply: Send the following items to Lauren by email: a 2-page CV, a 2-page cover letter detailing your previous scientific work experience and your interest in this position, and contact information for at least two referees. In your application, please describe the soft material characterisation skills and methodological knowledge you can bring to this project. Application deadline October 16th.

PhD position available: Sustainable biotechnology to circularise forestry waste sludge

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Note: the application process for this position closed in October 2022.

In brief: We have a PhD position available in our group, ideally to start in the spring of 2023. Email Lauren with questions. Full details below. You must apply at this link: apply here.

Scientific goals: Thousands of tonnes of sludge waste are produced each year at pulp and paper mills, and we aim to find new ways to recover components from this waste. The sludge contains valuable organic materials like starch, cellulose, and lignin, but it is heavily contaminated by metals and minerals that inhibit recycling. Most sludge is therefore sent to landfill. In this 4-year PhD project, we will use isolation techniques and DNA sequencing to identify the microbial species that thrive in this harsh industrial ecosystem, and use advanced “omics” methods to reveal the enzymes used in sludge breakdown. We will characterise these enzymes to create new precision tools for the forestry biorefinery, and to clean up the sludge by removing organic matter (leaving large amounts of recoverable metals, particularly aluminium). This project will advance fundamental knowledge and reduce industrial waste, helping to move the industry towards a more sustainable and circular model. You will be based at the KTH Division of Glycoscience, and your main supervisor will be Lauren McKee. You will collaborate closely with researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in the department of Industrial Biotechnology, as you will be co-supervised by Johan Larsbrink.

Where we work: KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm is one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, as well as a key centre of intellectual talent and innovation. We are Sweden’s largest technical research and learning institution and home to students, researchers, and faculty from around the world. Our research and education covers a wide area including natural sciences and all branches of engineering, as well as architecture, industrial management, urban planning, history and philosophy. The Division of Glycoscience is a multi-disciplinary department focussed on solving environmental and industrial challenges relating to sustainable production and usage of renewable natural resources, as well as advancing fundamental knowledge of complex carbohydrates.

The broader context: This project is funded by the Wallenberg Wood Science Centre. The WWSC is a research centre striving for scientific excellence, with a focus on new materials from trees. The centre creates knowledge and builds competence for an innovative and sustainable future value creation from forest raw materials. WWSC is a multidisciplinary collaboration between KTH, Chalmers, and Linköping University. The funding base is a donation from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and the Swedish forest industry is supporting the WWSC via the national platform Treesearch. As members of the WWSC, you and your supervisors will be expected to attend the workshops that take place in the Stockholm and Gothenburg areas twice per year, where you will present updates on your research and network with colleagues. You will be invited to regular Treesearch events, giving you further chances to present about your work and get access to the national Treesearch infrastructure platform.

Education and skills development: You will perform your PhD within the scope of the WWSC Academy. As a WWSC PhD student, you will attend two week-long graduate schools per year. This programme gives you a broad and deep insight into diverse forest-related topics, and helps you build a community of students aiming towards similar goals on the same timeline as you. You will also get to visit industrial sites and areas of natural beauty around Sweden, helping you get to know the country and its landscape as well. To complement your academy training, you will take doctoral courses at KTH, including online learning, lectures, and short lab projects. In addition, you will receive formal training in scientific writing and data visualisation. As part of your research, we will help you to write funding proposals to access additional financial support for travel and experimentation, giving you an even broader range of experience in science communication. I will also encourage you to write semi-regular pieces for this blog and to use other online channels to communicate with the public about your research.

Responsibilities as a PhD student: Your primary responsibility will of course be to advance the research project and to complete sufficient doctoral-level courses to earn the 60 credits you need to graduate. Your supervisors will help you to make sure you achieve these goals on time. In addition, you will spend up to 10 % of your time on Division/Departmental duties such as being responsible for a piece of equipment in the lab. Finally, you will take part in teaching younger students. The details of teaching are decided once the PhD has begun and the amount of teaching you do will be balanced against your other roles, but typically you will do some combination of lab teaching in a course for 1 or 2 years, supervising 1 or 2 MSc thesis students, and supervising 1 or 2 groups of BSc thesis students.

Eligibility for the position: To be eligible for this position, you should have a Master of Science or Engineering degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject area such as biotechnology. You should have completed a practical research-based (wet lab) thesis project. Documented proof of experience in areas such as molecular biology, biochemistry, and enzyme characterisation is appreciated but not necessarily required. Please email Lauren (find my email address at my KTH profile page) if you have queries about your eligibility for the role.

How to apply: You can find further specific details about this positon on the official advert, available at this link: apply here. Please note: applications can only be considered if they are made through the KTH application portal, linked at the bottom of the advert. Informal applications made by email cannot be considered. However, you are welcome to email Lauren if you have questions or are curious about this position.