Lignin from lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable source of polyphenols and aromatics. Because the development of economically viable and sustainable lignocellulosic biorefineries will rely on product-driven valorization of lignin, the proposed project seeks to develop functional bacterial chassis and synthetic consortia to produce lignin-derived aromatic chemicals. Here, a complete lignin-to-biochemical processing chain will be developed including metabolic engineering and fermentation-based synthesis of valuable bio-aromatic products in instrumented bioreactors. The synthetic ecology approach, combined to genome- and community-scale metabolic modeling, will be used to develop robust Pseudomonas putida-based consortia for metabolic convergence of lignin-derived aromatics and upgrading into high-value-added products.
Where to apply
E-mail: benoit.stenuit@uclouvain.be
Requirements
Research Field: Biological sciences » Biological engineering
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
Candidate profile: Microbiologist, biologist, (bio)chemist, bio-engineer or environmental scientist, with experience in microbial biotechnology, molecular biology and statistical analysis/bioinformatics methods. Must be academically competitive, self-motivated, rigorous, with good oral and written proficiency in both French and English, and an ability to collaborate in an interdisciplinary team. Desirable: Knowledge in metabolic engineering, knowledge of pure and mixed microbial cultures, ability to rigorously design experiments and to perform experiments under well-controlled conditions, experience with microbial ecology and molecular microbial techniques.
Languages: FRENCH - Level: Good
Languages: ENGLISH - Level: Good
Research Field: Biological sciences » Biological engineering
Additional Information
Additional comments
This PhD position is funded by a UCLouvain Coordinated Research Project (ARC): Lig2Aro project; Benoît Stenuit (UCLouvain/SST/ELI), Benoît Desguin (UCLouvain/SST/IBST), François Renoz (UCLouvain/SST/ELI), Manon Martin (UCLouvain/SST/IBST).
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: UCLouvain
Country: Belgium
City: Louvain-la-Neuve
Postal Code: 1348
Street: Croix du Sud 2 / L7.05.19
Contact
City: Louvain-la-Neuve
Website: https://uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/eli/elim
Street: Croix du Sud 2 / L7.05.19, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Postal Code: 1348
E-Mail: benoit.stenuit@uclouvain.be
