SCIENCE-JOBS-DE

PhD Student / Doctoral Student in Chemical Biology and Enzymology (Marburg, Germany)

The MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR TERRESTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY in Marburg,
Germany is advertising a PhD position in the “Biochemistry & Synthetic
Biology of Microbial Metabolism Group“ of Dr. Tobias Erb.

WHO WE ARE: A young and dynamic international research group at the
Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg, Germany
(North of Frankfurt). Our research focuses on understanding and
engineering novel enzymes and pathways for CO2-fixation. We like to
discover and discuss novel concepts at the interface of chemistry and
biology. You can find more information on our group here:
http://www.mpi-marburg.mpg.de/erb/

WHO YOU ARE: A highly motivated student with an MSc in chemistry or
biology who likes to work in a communicative and creative atmosphere.
You have a strong background and interest in mechanistic enzymology
and/or biological chemistry. You are an independently working,
critically thinking person who is interested in the fundamental
question, how enzymes catalyze reactions. Ideally, you have some
mathematical and physico-chemical background to understand the
chemical basis of enzyme catalysis, and experience in organic
synthesis. Most importantly: you are not afraid to develop, test and
discard new hypotheses.

YOUR RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT: The position offered is part of a
multidisciplinary project, funded by the European Union (ERC Starting
Grant "SYBORG"), in which we will study, explore and apply the most
efficient CO2 fixation reaction described in Nature so far (Erb et al.
PNAS 2009). You contribution will focus on deciphering the mechanistic
basis of its catalysis (Rosenthal et al. Nature Chemical Biology
2014).

The Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and the
neighboring Philipps University of Marburg form one of the largest
clusters of microbiology research in Europe and offer a stimulating
and interdisciplinary research environment. Recently, the Max Planck
Institute and the Philipps University established the SYNMIKRO center
to explore the foundations of synthetic microbiology.

As PhD student you will have the opportunity to join the International
Max Planck Research School (IMPRS-Mic). The three-year PhD program of
IMPRS-Mic promotes the interactions of researches from different
fields in an interdisciplinary approach and offers a multitude of
workshops and soft skill courses for the scientific and personal
development of the PhD student.

As an equal opportunity employer, the Max Planck Society is committed
to employing more individuals with disabilities. We therefore actively
encourage individuals with disabilities to apply. We also seek to
increase the percentage of female employees in areas where they are
under-represented. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged
to apply.

The appointment is for three years, starting around May 2015.
Applications should be sent as single PDF by e-mail to Tobias Erb
( toerb@mpi-marburg.mpg.de ). Please include a CV with grades and
certificates, a one-page cover letter describing your research
motivation, and academic referees.

Applications will be reviewed on March 2nd, 2015, but are also
considered after this date until the position is filled.

TOBIAS ERB
toerb@mpi-marburg.mpg.de
MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR TERRESTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY, Biochemistry & Synthetic Biology of Microbial Metabolism Group
Marburg, Germany