The fellowship is funded as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) project “B3PO – Better BioBased Polymer” under the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme.The B3PO consortium comprises 9 academic laboratories with core expertise in biotechnology, organic polymer synthesis, and materials science, together with world-class industrial players in enzyme and polymer production, as well as four high-tech SMEs. The transition to a sustainable, circular economy is a major global challenge, and chemists are essential in leading this transformation. Lignocellulosic feedstocks (LCF), sourced from locally available biomass, present a viable alternative to fossil resources and are a key focus of the European Green Deal. However, their effective use is complex and demands the combined expertise of chemistry, industrial biotechnology, polymer science, and materials engineering.
The B3PO initiative addresses this challenge through three main objectives:
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Dis-Assembly – developing integrative “lignin-first” strategies for extraction, fractionation, and enzymatic functionalization of lignin.
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Bio-Assembly – synthesizing new biobased polyesters from lignocellulosic feedstocks.
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Re-Assembly – polymerizing the resulting biobased monomers into fully biobased polyesters.
Objectives and description of the DC06 PhD.
In the Bio-Assembly context, the Biosciences team at the Marseille Institute of Molecular Sciences is looking for a motivated PhD student in the field of biocatalysis. The PhD project will focus on the production and characterization of enzymes, the construction of biocatalytic cascade systems, and process optimization. The main part of your work will be carried out at iSm2 (AMU, Marseille, France), and a secondment placement (9 months) will take place at TUG university(Graz, Austria). Additionally, a secondment placement at a company is foreseen (3 months).
The PhD candidate will participate in the training and workshop organized by the B3PO MSCA-DN. As a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions fellow, the candidate will be required to contribute to the dissemination of the project’s results through public engagement activities and scientific communication platforms.The applicant will conduct a research project independently and should enjoy the work in an international, interdisciplinary environment.
Requirements for the applicant
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A Master’s degree in Biochemistry, Biotechnology or Chemistry.
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Background / experience in Molecular Biology or Bioprocesses is mandatory. Knowledge in Enzymology would be beneficial.
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The applicant should have an excellent English at a proficient level (spoken and written).
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The candidate must not have lived in France for more than 12 months during the 3 years immediately preceding the start date of the contract.
Application Procedure
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To apply for the position, kindly provide: (i) a letter of motivation including a 1-page statement of your research interests, relevant skills and experience; (ii) a CV including publication list (if available); (iii) copies of university degrees and courses; and (iv) names and e-mail addresses of two scientists who can serve as references. All materials should be attached as a single PDF file (max. size 5MB). Contacts @email, @email, @email.