Doctoral Researcher in the MSCA Cofund DP-FOBI Doctoral Programme, Chemistry

Doctoral Researcher in the MSCA Cofund DP-FOBI Doctoral Programme, Chemistry

The Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, Department of Chemistry

Research theme: Efficient enzymatic conversion of biomass to bio-based compounds

Position: Doctoral Researcher (4 years). Location: Joensuu campus. Expected start: no later than . Application deadline: .

Research Theme

Biomass serves as a renewable, carbon-neutral alternative to fossil fuels. This PhD project focuses on enzyme-driven processes to convert lignocellulosic biomass into bio-oils and high-value biobased chemicals. The project will exploit non-phosphorylative metabolic pathway enzymes for converting pentose sugars—particularly xylose and arabinose—into high-value biobased chemicals. Key enzymes include Xylonolactonase and pentonate dehydratases of the Weimberg/Dahms pathway. The project incorporates structural biology and enzyme engineering to improve catalytic effic...