Domain: microbiology, systems biology, microbial biotechnology

Keywords: thermophiles; microbial physiology and stress response; proteomics

Promotor: Eveline Peeters

Starting date: 1st of September 2024, for a period of 3 + 1 years

Location: Research Group of Microbiology; VUB, Brussels, Belgium.

Funding: HORIZON-MSCA-2022-DN project PROHITS

In this Ph.D. project, you will study the thermal stress response of thermophiles. Starting from a selection of diverse bacterial and archaeal thermophiles with proven or postulated biotechnological potential, you will characterize growth kinetics and optimize cultivation conditions. For the most promising thermophiles, temperature stress response will be studied, first on a phenotypic level and then on a proteomic level. To this end, you will assist in developing experimental and analysis pipelines for the execution of thermal proteome profiling (TPP), as well as in the biological interpretation of the obtained results. Finally, you will be involved in translating the results into a biotechnological perspective through the optimization of a thermophilic microbial cell factory and the associated bioprocess.

You will be hosted in a research team with profound expertise in thermophile research, both from a fundamental and application-driven perspective.

Besides the work in Brussels, you will spend a 1,5-month secondment at the CNRS research institute (Strasbourg, France), where proteomics work is performed, and a 2-month secondment at the company NovoArc (Vienna, Austria), which develops a bioproduction process with thermophilic archaea for the manufacturing of unique lipids for drug delivery applications.

The project is part of a computational/experimental EU MSCA-DN project with a total of 10 Ph.D. students and is highly interdisciplinary. Candidates with a MSc degree in Biotechnology, Biology, Molecular Biology or equivalent are considered for this position. Hands-on experience with microbiological and molecular-biological research techniques is essential, as well as a background in systems biology. Good bioinformatic and programming skills are a bonus. Candidates must be motivated to learn about all disciplines relevant to the project.

Candidates must be fluent in English.

Applications must be submitted online in English following the instructions and respecting the conditions at https://bit.ly/prohits. The deadline for applications is 15/03/2024 at 23:59 (CET)

Further general information about the PROHITS project: http://prohits.eu