Ph.D. (Chemical or Biochemical engineering): University of Calgary 1287 views

Ph.D. position (Chemical or Biochemical engineering) at the University of Calgary.

The University seeks applications from qualified and motivated young scientists with a passion for clean energy and interdisciplinary research to fill the position.

Title: Ph.D. position in Enzyme Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)

EOR is a highly dynamic process that can be achieved by reducing oil viscosity, improving oil displacement (reducing interfacial tension), and modulating the rock-surface wettability. Principally, enzymes hold great advantages in EOR process;

1. Enzymes can hydrolyze some crude oil components to reduce its viscosity,
2. Enzyme surface is amphiphilic (with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic functional groups), which enables enzymes to act as surfactants by minimizing interfacial tension between oil and water/solvent phases (emulsification),
3. The high affinity of the enzyme to the water/solvent-solid interface allows enzymes to improve the wettability of the rock surface towards oil recovery.

Requirements / Qualifications

1. Candidates with a background in Chemical or Biochemical Engineering or related disciplines with a strong interest in biochemistry, enzymology, piloting and process scale-up, and process optimization.
2. The candidate will be responsible for evaluating several enzymes and biochemical pathways for enhanced oil recovery.

Skills Involved:

1. 1. Genetic manipulation approaches to edit/modify the DNA sequence and create new characteristics of these enzymes.
   2. Use enzyme immobilization technologies (immobilize enzyme on nanoparticles) to improve enzyme stability and interaction of enzymes and targeted substrates.
   3. Perform genome mining of related micro-organisms using bioinformatics tools to identify novel targets (enzymes) and homologs across enzyme families.

Application Procedure

Applications should consist of

1. Current CV,
2. List of 2-3 referees with contact information
3. Cover letter indicating which area you are interested in

Fellowships Details

1. The position is available immediately and the search will continue until the team is assembled.
2. Fellowship Will be ascertained as per university norms.