We, the ETH Zurich Bioprocess Laboratory (Prof. Sven Panke), are a multinational (currently 8 different nationalities) and interdisciplinary (microfluidics, genetic and enzyme engineering, bioprocesses) group located at the Basel campus of ETH Zurich and part of the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) ( Bioprocess Laboratory , LinkedIn ).
Biotechnology moves increasingly beyond the standard building blocks of today's biological realm. Important examples are the use of novel ("non-canonical") amino acids as building blocks in proteins, or of non-canonical nucleotides for DNA and RNA. Applications include the functionalization of peptides and proteins for pharma, chemical and materials applications or the development of novel vaccines (including, for example, the anti-COVID RNA vaccines of the past pandemic). Despite the great successes of recent years in building non-canonical macromolecules, many fundamental questions remain open. For example, the simple question of how non-canonical building blocks for exciting macromolecules can cross a highly selective cell membrane so they can be used in the cell, remains unanswered. We have in the past made large strides towards solving this problem at a fundamental level (Künzl et al., Metabolic Engineering 39:60, DOI 10.1016/j.ymben.2016.10.016, and Rodriguez-Robles, Metabolic Engineering 85:26, DOI 10.1016/j.ymben.2024.05.005), and we are now on the verge of deploying our systems to new applications.
Job descriptionYou will be responsible for developing previous work by eliminating a number of bottlenecks in the bacterial import process, optimizing the system for high performance, and then applying it to problems around therapeutic peptides and proteins.
The focus of the work is experimental and will include a broad variety of molecular methods (molecular biology, adaptive laboratory evolution, library design and directed evolution, protein structure/function relationships, next-generation sequencing), as well as computational analysis (bioinformatics, data handling and AI-supported analysis and engineering).
The work is embedded in a network of groups in Xenobiology located in France, Germany, and Belgium.
Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled. The earliest starting date is October 1st.
ProfileWe are looking for a committed and responsible candidate with a master's degree (or comparable) in biotechnology, biochemistry, microbiology or a related field. Candidates should be fluent in English, enthusiastic for experimental work - a flair for computational work and chemistry will be considered an asset. We value curiosity, flexibility, and participating in a mutually supportive and inclusive team.
We offer - Your job with impact: Become part of ETH Zurich, which not only supports your professional development, but also actively contributes to positive change in society
- We are actively committed to a sustainable and climate-neutral university
- You can expect numerous benefits , such as public transport season tickets and car sharing, a wide range of sports offered by the ASVZ , childcare and attractive pension benefits
- We offer a supportive environment in a well-functioning team, excellent training in state-of-the-art synthetic biology, microbiology, and enzyme and genetic engineering.
- You will learn how to shape and drive your scientific project and how to communicate about it while having access to the cutting-edge facilities of the D-BSSE and experiencing the busy life of a buzzing international department in the heart of Basel, Europe's life science capital ( Twitter ).
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