Three PhD positions | Computational protein designDevelopmental and Evolutionary Biology & Genetics Microbiology & Ecology Plant ResearchJob Offer from March 13, 2025The Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology in Marburg is excited to offer three PhD positions in computational protein design. Hosted by the Bunzel group (Enzyme Design and Evolution), these positions focus on creating enzymes through computational protein design and directed evolution to address key sustainability challenges, including carbon capture and solar-energy conversion.PhD Positions I & II – Design and Evolution of Photoenzymes for Solar-Driven Carbon Capture and Nitrogen FixationThe global energy crisis calls for sustainable solutions to harness solar energy. The Bunzel group combines computational protein design and directed evolution to develop enzymes for solar-energy conversion (e.g., Bunzel et al., bioRxiv 2022). Building on this initial success, PhD positions I & II will focus on equipping natural redox enzymes with photocatalytic activity, creating new enzymes for solar-driven carbon capture and nitrogen fixation.PhD Position III – Advancing Computational Enzyme Design with AI.zymesDespite significant progress in protein design, enzyme catalysis remains a major challenge. To push this boundary, we developed AI.zymes, an advanced computational platform for evolutionary enzyme design (Merlicek et al., bioRxiv 2025). AI.zymes integrates cutting-edge bioengineering tools (AlphaFold3, SolubleMPNN, Rosetta, MD, etc.) into a unified design pipeline. PhD position III will focus on expanding AI.zymes by incorporating more powerful computational design tools to enhance our enzyme engineering capabilities.Who we are looking forWe seek highly motivated, curious, and creative candidates excited about designing new enzymes for critical global challenges. What you should bring:Master’s degree in Biochemistry, Synthetic Biology, Bioinformatics, or a related field.Practical experience with recombinant protein expression, molecular biology, and basic coding skills are desirable.Protein design or directed evolution experience would be helpful but not required.PhD positions I & II: Experience in redox-/photochemistry, anaerobic biochemistry, or non-standard organisms is a plus but not essential.PhD position III: Strong coding background due to the focus of this project on developing advanced computational design algorithms.A creative mindset, initiative, and a collaborative spiritApplicationThe selection process will begin on 1. April. The positions will remain open until filled. The earliest possible start date for the positions is 1. July. 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 underrepresented.To apply, please submit a cover letter specifying which PhD position interests you, your CV, and up to two reference letters. Applications should be sent as a single pdf file to: phd-bunzel@mpi-marburg.mpg.de
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