The Downstream BioProcessing Laboratory, under the supervision of Professor Marcelo Fernndez-Lahore, invites applications for a PhD Position in Downstream Bioprocessing (m/f)
The position is available from November 2012 and will be focused on the EU-FP7 INTENSO Project, which is aimed at the integration and intensification of downstream processes in the biopharmaceutical industry. The INTENSO Consortium is composed of world-class Universities and private European partners and is financed within the frame of the EU program EU-FP7.
The PhD candidate will work on a research project focusing on downstream processing approaches involving novel technologies that allow for simultaneous clarification, concentration, and fractionation of crude feedstock that originates from microbial fermentations and mammalian cell cultures. The ultimate goal would be to the efficient and cost-effective isolation and purification of various biologically and pharmaceutically relevant bioproducts, including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and virus-like particles (VLPs).
Job Description:
The candidates will be involved in the synthesis and development of novel functionalized (proprietary) materials that have to be conveniently packed into disposable cartridges. Such adsorbent systems will be extensively tested for performance. Furthermore, it is expected that demonstration activities will take place in order to assess their commercial viability under real processing conditions.
The candidate will also be involved in the characterization of adsorbents in order to study their surface interactions with biomass, which can be detrimental to process performance. Optimal adsorption conditions will have to be investigated using a variety of experimental (contact angle and zeta potential measurements) as well as theoretical (XDLVO theory, Residence time distribution analysis, Process tomography) tools.
PhD Position in Downstream Bioprocessing
