Research Assistant/Associate (f/m/d) - Doctoral Student Enzymatic Depolymerization for Circular Fiber Materials

Weitere Informationen

The successful candidate will be employed under a regular employment contract.
The position is to be filled by 7/1/2025 and offered for a fixed term for 1 year.
It is intended to extend the initial contract period by two years.
The fixed-term employment is possible as it constitutes one of the fixed-term options of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (German Act on Fixed-term Scientific Contracts).
This is a part-time contract position.
The standard weekly hours will be 25,89 hours.
The successful candidate has the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree in this position.
The salary is based on the German public service salary scale (TV-L).
The position corresponds to a pay grade of EG 13 TV-L.

Unser Profil

The PhD position is embedded in the research project “teXirc – Textile Materials Designed for Circularity”, funded by the VolkswagenStiftung, which addresses the urgent need for circularity in the textile sector. Textiles contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, resource consumption, and environmental microplastic pollution. Currently used synthetic fibers are difficult to degrade efficiently and sustainably. teXirc aims to develop bio-based synthetic fibers that match the durability and versatility of benchmark materials and to establish an efficient, sustainable waste treatment to promote closed-loop circularity. The research will contribute to the development of new materials and recycling technologies with the potential to be applied in real-world textile products. This work will be carried out in an interdisciplinary collaboration with project partners from academia and industry:

• Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University
• Chair of Chemical Materials Science, University of Konstanz
• German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research (DITF), Denkendorf

The PhD project will focus on identifying enzymes in a phylogenetic study and applying the most active enzymes to advance synthetic fiber depolymerization processes. The enzymatic performance will be improved through targeted enzyme engineering campaigns (KnowVolution strategy) towards improved substrate binding and catalytic activity. The most effective variants will be selected for scale-up in fermentation processes to demonstrate depolymerization on realistic textile samples. Throughout the project, the PhD fellow will gain experience in a wide range of molecular biology and protein engineering methods, including enzyme discovery, recombinant protein production, directed evolution, biocatalysis, and polymer degradation with the overall goal of contributing to a sustainable polymer circular economy.

Ihr Profil

• Very good university degree (master or equivalent) in the field of biotechnology, biochemistry, biology, chemistry or a related area
• Very good knowledge and experience with molecular biology techniques and recombinant protein production
• Experience in biocatalysis, enzymatic polymer degradation and protein engineering is beneficial
• Highly motivated and independent person with strong communication skills and the drive to learn and work with an interdisciplinary team
• Ability to present and discuss scientific research in German and English
• Good knowledge of MS Office applications

Ihre Aufgaben

• Independent work on scientific projects (planning, execution and evaluation of scientific experiments)
• Writing reports on project results and progress
• Interdisciplinary collaboration with academic and industrial partners
• Dissemination of results through scientific presentations and publications
• Supervision of research internships and theses (Bachelor/Master)

Über uns

RWTH is a certified family-friendly University. We support our employees in maintaining a good work-life balance with a wide range of health, advising, and prevention services, for example university sports. Employees who are covered by collective bargaining agreements and civil servants have access to an extensive range of further training courses and the opportunity to purchase a job ticket.
RWTH is an equal opportunities employer. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from all suitably qualified candidates, particularly from groups that are underrepresented at the University. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability or age. RWTH is strongly committed to encouraging women in their careers. Female applicants are given preference if they are equally suitable, competent, and professionally qualified, unless a fellow candidate is favored for a specific reason.
As RWTH is committed to equality of opportunity, we ask you not to include a photo in your application.
You can find information on the personal data we collect from applicants in accordance with Articles 13 and 14 of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) at http://www.rwth-aachen.de/dsgvo-information-bewerbung.

Besoldung / Entgelt

EG 13 TV-L