Biocement by enzyme mediated CO2 mineralization

Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Civil and Architectural Engineering programme. The position is available 01 March 2025 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title:
Biocement by enzyme mediated CO2 mineralization

Research area and project description:
This PhD project will be anchored in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Aarhus University, which aims to contribute to the global endeavor in reducing carbon emissions. By focusing on the development of novel CO2 mineralization processes, this project will explore the potential of enzyme technology.

CO2 mineralization based on alkaline waste sources has attracted significant interests and holds high potential, while it also faces challenges. This project will especially investigate how specific enzymes can overcome the constraints of the process and maximize the efficiency of the process through enzyme engineering. Moreover, the effects of the enzymes on the mineralized products will be studied, with the goal to develop novel green cement using the mineralized products.

The project has received financial support from the Danish Independent Research Fund (DFF). You will be joining an innovative and cross-disciplinary research team including experts on enzyme technology, fundamental and applied material science, in Denmark and Germany. The team has access to excellent infrastructure and state-of-the-art facilities for the project. You are expected to autonomously carry out research work under the supervision team. You may co-supervise students (MSc and BSc) in their projects. You expand your research portfolio, and you share your research findings through high-impact publications and presentations at international conferences, contributing to the advancement of enzyme technology and low-carbon building materials.

Project description: For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.

Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants to the PhD position must have a relevant Master’s degree (120 ECTS) or at least one year of a Master’s degree related to Enzyme Engineering, specializing in enzyme screening and characterization:

• Education and training on Enzyme Engineering is a must
• Strong expertise within experimental work
• Research experience on material science especially on CO2 mineralization, calcium carbonate, fabrication of nanoparticles is a plus
• Self-motivated, pro-active, team- and goal-oriented personality
• Full command of the English language

Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Navitas, Inge Lehmanns Gade 10, 8000 Aarhus C., Denmark.

Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:

• Min Wu, [email protected] (main supervisor)
• Zheng Guo, [email protected] (co-supervisor)

How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.

Application deadline is 15 January 2025 at 23:59 CET.

Preferred starting date is 01 March 2025.

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.

Please note:

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.