Doctoral Candidate (f/m/d) - in the area of Synthetic Microbiology

At the Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB) at RWTH Aachen University, researchers are involved in various contributions to a circular bioeconomy. The main objective is the sustainable production of valuable substances from renewable carbon sources for a future bioeconomy. Our Synthetic Microbiology group focuses on engineering recombinant microorganisms and designing energy modules for the utilization and production of biofuels such as molecular hydrogen and methane. We employ an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating methods from molecular genetics, biochemistry, microbiology, spectroscopy, biocatalysis, and bioprocess engineering. We offer an outstanding research environment with state-of-the-art facilities at the iAMB and strong links to the Cluster of Excellence “The Integrated Fuel & Chemical Science Center (FSC²), WSS century research center catalaix, and the Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC).

The Lauterbach lab at the Institute of Applied Microbiology (iAMB), RWTH Aachen University, is seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join the DFG project “Establishing a new platform for H2-driven asymmetric catalysis by design of a fusion-enzyme” in collaboration with the TU Hamburg and TU Delft. [1-3] It focuses on the design of an unprecedented fusion protein combining an O₂-tolerant soluble [NiFe] hydrogenase from Cupriavidus necator with an Old Yellow Enzyme ene-reductase, enabling highly enantioselective reductions powered directly by molecular hydrogen. Central objectives include elucidating synthetic nicotinamide cofactors and direct versus mediated electron transfer within the fusion protein to eliminate the need for costly cofactor regeneration.This project is in close cooperation with Prof. Dr. Andreas Liese and Prof. Dr. Caroline Paul. The platform integrates advanced protein engineering, automated reaction systems, and inline spectroscopic analytics to enable efficient, data-driven process development under continuous-flow conditions.

References:

[1] Al-Shameri A, Willot SJ-P, Paul CE, Hollmann F, Lauterbach L 2020 H2 as a fuel for flavin- and H2O2-dependent biocatalytic reactions Chem. Commun. 56, 9667 – 9670 doi.org/10.1039/D0CC03229H

[2] Reeve HA, Nicholson J, Altaf F, Lonsdale TH, Preissler J, Lauterbach L, Lenz O, Leimkühler S, Hollmann F, Paul CE, Vincent KA. 2022 A hydrogen-driven biocatalytic approach to recycling synthetic analogues of NAD(P)H analogous Chem Commun (Camb) 2022,58, 10540-10543 doi: 10.1039/d2cc02411j

[3] Calabrese, D., Lim, G., Nayyar, P., Wolf, M. E., Cordero, P. R. F., Eltis, L. D., & Lauterbach, L. (2025). H₂-driven biocatalytic O-demethylation of lignin-derived aromatics in a closed-loop flow system powered by water electrolysis. Green Chemistry doi.org/10.1039/D5GC05054E