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BBSRC IBTI Club PhD studentship in Applied Biocatalysis
Biorenewables and Bioprocessing Engineering Group

University of Nottingham -
Faculty of Engineering - Division of Process & Environmental Engineering

Enzymatic depolymerisation of lignin.

Applications are invited for the above studentship to develop improved enzymatic processes to produce aromatic chemicals from lignin. Lignin is produced as a waste stream in biorefineries, and is currently burnt to generate energy for use in the process. This project aims to recover valuable chemicals from the waste lignin using laccases and related enzymes to depolymerise the lignin. At present, the product yields are low because inhibitory substances are generated during the reaction. This project aims to test a variety of systems to segregate the enzyme away from the inhibitory substances generated during processing and, thus, improve enzyme stability.

The project is funded by the BBSRC IBTI Club, a consortium of companies with interests in biorefining (see IBTI Club: Background - BBSRC ). The project is highly interdisciplinary and would be suitable for students with a keen interest in learning new concepts and techniques from other disciplines. At the end of the project you will have acquired the following skills in applied biocatalysis: enzyme immobilization, design and operation of enzyme reactors, use of flow reactors, development of biphasic reaction systems and analytical chemistry for monitoring enzymatic reactions on lignin, including GCMS, HPLC, LCMS, NMR, and GPC. You will also have numerous opportunities to present your work to the IBTI Club members and discuss your project with the sponsoring companies.

You will work in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Nottingham, in a new, state-of-the-art Biorenewables and Bioprocessing lab (see Biorenewables and Bioprocessing Research Group - The University of Nottingham ) with superb equipment for developing bioproduction of chemicals from renewable feedstocks. The project will be co-supervised by Professor Gill Stephens see: Gill Stephens - The University of Nottingham and Dr Wim Thielemans see: Wim Thielemans Research group

Applications are invited from students with a background in biochemistry, chemistry, biotechnology, chemical or biochemical engineering or a related discipline who have or expect to graduate with a first or upper second, MSc or equivalent. Eligibility for full funding is restricted to UK citizens (tuition fees and stipend) or EU citizens (tuition fees only). Funding is available immediately, for the project to start in October 2012.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Professor G Stephens, Email: gill.stephens@nottingham.ac.uk .

Applications with a CV, a brief statement of your research interests, and the names and Email addresses of two referees should be sent to Professor Gill Stephens, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD. Email: gill.stephens@nottingham.ac.uk .

Please quote ref. ENG/597.

Closing date: June 20 2012.

For all our vacancies and more about working at the University of Nottingham see: http://jobs.nottingham.ac.uk/ .

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Date of input: Monday, 7 May
2012
Date of expiry: Wednesday,
20 June 2012

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Salary:
Not
specified

Location:
Midlands of England

Type / Role:
PhD

Subject Area:
Biological Sciences

Biochemistry
Physical and Environmental Sciences

Chemistry
Engineering and Technology

Chemical Engineering
Biotechnology

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