진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

Nantes University is currently seeking an enthusiastic and motivated postdoctoral researcher with a PhD related to microalgae bioprocess engineering to join the "Bioprocesses Applied to Microalgae" team at the GEPEA Laboratory. The candidate will work closely with the Algosolis R&D facility within the framework of the project "SORCELBUB: Scalable solutions Optimisation and decision tool Creation for low impact SAF Production chain from a lipid-rich microalgae strain."

The objective of SORCELBUB project: at present, large-scale production of microalgae-based biofuels faces a number of challenges that have made its development economically unviable, including the challenge of producing large quantities of biomass. A promising strategy to tackle this problem is to grow microalgae in mixed cultures with yeast cells. In these consortia, microalgae and yeast establish mutualistic relationship based on gas exchange in situ resulting in increased biomass and lipid production. However, stability between the two microorganisms' sub-populations is key to maintain the mixed culture over long period of time. But because the growth rate of yeasts is significantly different from that of microalgae (hours vs days, respectively), yeasts can quickly take over the a culture.

SORCELBUB Overall Concept: The objective of SORCELBUB is to develop a large-scale selective flotation process where bubbles are used to sort cells, and thus remove yeasts continuously from mixed cultures with microalgae to maintain system stability. This new process is called bubble-based cell sorting (BBCS).

Candidate's tasks and research activities: the candidate is expected to conduct experimental studies up to the final implementation the BBCS process on a large scale, on AlgoSolis R&D facility, for final validation. For that, several challenges will have to be taken up, the first one concerning the setting of the co-culture in lab-scale controlled photobioreactors. Indeed, while the co-culture of microalgae with heterotrophic microorganisms such as yeasts has been demonstrated, the practical implementation at industrial scale remains a challenge, in particular when aiming at controlling the culture process sufficiently to maintain production stability and favor a given population (microalgae in the present case). This is especially true in outdoor growing conditions. The day-night cycles lead to a necessarily dynamic process, to which are added unforeseen events of an outdoor culture, a fortiori in an open system (risks of contamination, change in weather conditions...). AlgoSolis and the GEPEA laboratory have developed a set of tools (lab-scale photobioreactors mimicking real conditions, outdoor cultivation systems, predictive models for solar cultivation of microalgae, etc.) to address these issues.

The candidate will be responsible for:

- Development of scaling-up protocols for the setting of microalgae-yeast co-culture: this study will be done at lab-scale, using controlled photobioreactors mimicking real conditions already available at GEPEA. A special attention will be paid here on the dynamics of both microbial populations with regards to the organic carbon source.

- Preparation ofthe integration of the BBCS process on the cultivation system on AlgoSolis R&D facility

- Implementation of protocols at different scales, up to the final validation of the integrated process in real outdoor conditions on AlgoSolis R&D facility.

He will:

• • Contribute to reporting tasks and present progress and results at consortium meetings and other relevant events such as international scientific congresses.
• • Work closely with the project manager on both scientific and transversal tasks, ensuring seamless coordination and communication within the project team.