MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024

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MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024

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Job description

Are you passionate about innovative solutions for a sustainable future? We invite you to join our groundbreaking research team as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellow. Our multidisciplinary project focuses on revolutionizing metal recovery from waste streams, addressing the urgent demand for critical metals essential for achieving net-zero by 2050.Project Overview:With the global push towards renewable energy, hydrogen technologies, and carbon capture, the need for critical metals has skyrocketed. Traditional metal recovery methods are energy-intensive and environmentally harmful. Our project seeks to pioneer new, efficient, low-cost, and low-energy solutions through bioleaching-a microbial leaching and recovery process.Key Objectives:Flame Spheroidisation Process:

• Developed at the University of Nottingham, this innovative, solvent-free process pre-treats waste streams by amorphizing them, increasing ion leaching rates and material surface area through the generation of microspheres. This enhances metal recovery and allows post-bioleaching materials to be repurposed in the Circular Economy for applications such as fillers, sintering, and coating materials.

Biological Engineering of Metal-Resistant Microorganisms:

• Utilizing Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34, renowned for its extraordinary metabolic versatility and resistance to numerous metals, we aim to enhance its biomineralisation capabilities. This includes the production of precious metals like gold, platinum, silver, and uranium from complex waste materials such as spent car catalysts.

Synthetic Biology Tool-Box Development:

• Building on our extensive synthetic biology tool-box (Turco et al., 2022), we will engineer C. metallidurans CH34 to further improve its efficiency in biomineralising key metals. Additionally, we will explore the interaction of these microorganisms with metals and their potential for bioelectricity generation in microbial fuel cells (MFCs).

Your Role:As a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow, you will play a crucial role in advancing our research goals. You will:

• Conduct experiments to optimize the flame spheroidisation process and assess its impact on bioleaching efficiency.
• Engineer and test C. metallidurans CH34 for enhanced metal recovery and biomineralisation.
• Investigate the physiological and electrochemical behavior of these microorganisms in the presence of various metals.
• Collaborate with a dynamic team of experts in microbiology, materials science, and environmental engineering.

What We Offer:

• A highly collaborative and supportive research environment.
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities and resources.
• Opportunities for professional development and international collaboration.
• A competitive salary and benefits package under the MSCA framework.

Eligibility and Application:Candidates must have a PhD in a relevant field (e.g., microbiology, bioengineering, materials science) and a strong background in microbial leaching, synthetic biology, or related areas. Excellent communication skills and a passion for sustainable technology are essential.To apply, please submit your CV, a cover letter detailing your research interests and experience, and contact information for three references.Join Us in Pioneering Sustainable Metal Recovery!Apply today to be part of a project that aims to make a significant impact on resource efficiency, environmental sustainability, and the future of metal recovery technology.Share this page

Expected salary

Location

Nottingham

Job date

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 02:44:39 GMT

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