PhD scholarship in development of bacterial biosensors for food processing

February 1, 2010

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Job Description : In the Marie Curie Initial Training Networks, LeanGreenFood, the Laboratory of General and Agricultural Biotechnology of the Agricultural University of Athens seeks a PhD student to develop whole cell bacterial biosensors for food processing. The aim of the LeanGreenFood project is to reduce the chemical treatment in the production of the food and food ingredients by utilizing enzymatic catalysis in the process. The specific objectives of the present PhD study is to develop biosensors for food processing with various transducers: bioluminescence, fluorescence and ice nucleation. Biosensors are used in the food processing industry to monitor the progress and products of enzymatic processing of substrates. They can measure either accumulation of specific enzymatic degradation products or reduction of the initial substrate. Several types of biosensors have been developed, based on biomolecules such as enzymes, antibodies, cell membrane receptor proteins, organelles, or entire cells. Microorganisms are an excellent base for development of biosensors. They offer ability to detect a wide range of chemical substances, they are amenable to genetic modification and several can operate at broad pH and temperature ranges. In spite of their potential, the use of microbial biosensors in monitoring the quality and efficiency of food processing protocols has been limited.
Bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas fluorescens will be genetically modified to express the transducer under the control of bacterial promoters that respond to analytes produced during food processing of substrates with specific enzymes. For bioluminescence, a promoterless lux cassette from Vibrio fischeri will be fused to promoters responding to target analytes during food processing. For fluorescence, the Green Fluorescent protein (GFP) will be used in a similar way. For ice nucleation activity, the transducer will be the inaZ gene, coding for the ice nucleation protein of Pseudomonas syringae. The bioluminescence and fluorescence biosensors will be implemented in fluidic analyzers. The biosensor based on ice nucleation activity will be evaluated with a droplet freezing test for ice nucleation activity and possibly in a specifically developed fluidic analyzer.

Qualifications
The successful candidate must have a Master’s Degree with a background in microbiology and molecular biology. An additional background in food chemistry will be appreciated.

The student is an enthusiastic and innovative researcher with good interpersonal skills and excellent expression in written and oral English. During the assessment of the candidates consideration will be given to relevance of background experience.

Due to EU requirements, the candidate cannot have the Greek nationality. Furthermore, candidates that have been in Greece for more than 12 months during the past 3 years cannot be appointed for this PhD position.

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarships for the PhD degree are subject to academic approval, and the candidates will be enrolled in one of the degree programs of AUA.

Salary and appointment terms
We offer a full-time position for a period of one year with possibility of extension to three years. The salary, in line with the EU regulations concerning the Marie Curie Initial Training Networks is € 2590/month.
Place of work
Work will be carried out in the Laboratory of General and Agricultural Microbiology at the AUA. AUA is the leading Greek Agricultural University, training undergraduate and graduate students in Greece in various aspects of agriculture. The University offers various courses, including courses on Food Science and Biotechnology. The Staff of the Laboratory of General and Agricultural Microbiology has experience on biotechnology and the molecular biology of microorganisms. The Laboratory is fully equipped to carry out research in these fields. Staff consists of five faculty members, one technician and one research and education assistant, and currently hosts three Ph.D. students. Beyond collaborations with Greek research organizations, the department has links and collaborations with European and American Universities/companies that provide a multinational-multidisciplinary research and training environment.

How to Apply
To apply please send : 1) a letter of motivation describing (i) why you are interested in this position and (ii) what you can offer to the project , 2) a CV including list of publications, if available, 3) The marks (or level of degree, with details) obtained in the B.Sc. and/or M.Sc. degree. The average marks of the B.Sc. and M.Sc. need to be supplied in percentage or in ETCS points 4) references. The application should contain all 4 elements listed above.

Please specify where you noticed the announcement. Please attach your application including diploma and other relevant documents no later than 28 February 2010 to dgeorga-at-aua.gr

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

Job Homepage : http://www.aua.gr/index.php?sec=content&item=210

Contact address : Dimitri Georgakopoulos
Assistant Professor
Laboratory of General and Agricultural Microbiology
Faculty of Agricultural Biotechnology
Agricultural University of Athens
Iera Odos 75
118 55 Athens, Greece

Tel.: +30 210 5294355
Fax: +30 2105294344
dgeorga-at-aua.gr

Scholarship