3-Years PhD Position in Flow Biocatalysis at Aarhus University

Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Biological and Chemical Engineering programme. The position is available from 01 June 2026 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title:
3-years PhD Position in Flow Biocatalysis at Aarhus University, DENMARK

Research area and project description

Roles and responsibilities
The PhD will be carried out in 3 years at Aarhus University within the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Selin Kara. Within this time, it is expected that two research stays (3-6 months) in industry will be conducted, in Spain and in Sweden. The Horizon Europe Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) doctoral network (DN) project starts in January 2026. The date of recruitment and the state of the PhD project are planned for June 2026 and by December 2026. Your PhD degree will be awarded based on successful completion of the research work at AU. You will also be required to participate in the training events organized by the DN, and you are expected to contribute to the dissemination of your PhD results via social media and public engagement.

The PhD project will focus on the below tasks to

• construct and operate flow bioreactors,
• immobilize enzymes for stability and reusability,
• optimize process parameters (immobilization conditions, flow parameters, reactor geometry and dimensions, substrate dosing, etc.),
• screen enzymes, particularly unspecific peroxygenases from both short- and long-type families,
• have 3-6 months secondments in industry (Spain and Sweden),
• join the workshops, seminars, and schools belonging to the doctoral network training agenda of ELEGANCE,
• be active in the dissemination, communication, and public engagement of ELEGANCE,
• collaborate with ELEGANCE’s other doctoral candidates.

Salary, holiday payment, pension contributions and the like include all employer and employee's taxes and contributions. Thus, figures are before taxes are paid, and taxes may differ depending on individual circumstances. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement, and salary is depending on seniority. Salary includes a non-pensionable PhD supplement. The allowances mentioned in the EU work programme (living allowance, mobility allowance and, if applicable, family allowance) will be part of the salary. Allowance rates can be found in the relevant EU Work Programme (under MSCA doctoral network - Applicable unit contributions), and country correction coefficient can be found in the same document.

For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.

Qualifications and specific competences:

• Completed master’s degree (120 ECTS) in the field of biotechnology, bioprocess engineering, biochemical engineering, or a relevant,
• Strong background in biocatalysis (protein expression and purification, enzyme characterization, enzyme kinetics - kinetic modeling and data interpretation),
• Expertise in bioreactor design and operation
• Practical experience in molecular biology techniques - Enzyme screening and engineering skills,
• Expertise in high-throughput experimentation and data analysis,
• Expertise in standard chemical analysis methods,
• Experience in multienzyme system design,
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills,
• Interest in interdisciplinary work combining biocatalysis, engineering, and computational tools,
• Self-motivated, pro-active, team- and goal-oriented personality,
• Full command of the English language,
• MSCA Fellow Rule: The candidate must not have resided in Denmark for more than 12 months during the 3 years immediately preceding the start date of the contract.

Conditions of employment
You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at AU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see Graduate School of Technical Science’s website.

Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Gustav Wieds Vej 10D, 8000 Aarhus C., Denmark.

EU eligibility requirements in Marie Curie Doctoral Networks:

• Supported researchers must be doctoral candidates, i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible.
• Researchers supported must be enrolled in a doctoral programme leading to the award of a doctoral degree in at least one EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country, and for Joint Doctorates in at least two.
• Recruited researchers can be of any nationality and must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.
• Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent by the researcher as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention75 are not taken into account.
• Secondments are eligible for up to one third of the actual months spent implementing the research training activities under the action.
• In case of industrial doctorates, doctoral candidates must spend at least 50% of their fellowship duration in the non-academic sector.’

Contacts
Applicants seeking further information regarding the PhD position are invited to contact:

• Professor Selin Kara, e-mail: selin.kara@bce.au.dk (main supervisor)

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide. If answers cannot be found there, please contact:

• admission.gradschool.tech@au.dk

How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.

Application deadline is 31 January 2026 at 23:59 CET.

Preferred starting date is 1 June 2026.

Please note:

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.