Projects in Eco‑Chemistry

Four positions as undergraduate research students within the Master by Research curriculum of Chemistry in the Eco-Chemistry group are open. 

The group's research deals with the bioremediation of contaminated materials as fiber banks and biocatalytic transformation of residue from the forest into value-added products, as well as semiochemicals used for the chemical communication of pests in forests and crops.

The research in Eco-chemistry at Mid Sweden University is focused towards the following research areas:

• Biocatalytic transformation of residue from the forest into products such as biochemicals, biofuels, meat substitutes, animal feed
• Bioremediation of fiber banks using yeast, bacteria, fungi and plants
• Analysis, synthesis and extraction of natural products and its bioactivity in order to use them as an environmentally friendly protection of forests and plants from insects and wood decaying fungi
• Design and synthesis of environmentally friendly organic compounds with a specific, desired function.
  The research group has access to laboratories that are well equipped for all types of work in the context of modern analytical methods and organic synthesis. For example, we have access to bioreactors, incubators, climate cabinets, autoclaves, a cell counter, PCR equipment, green house and instrument for analysis, such as 500 MHz NMR(HRMAS), 250 MHz NMR(CPMAS), GC-FTIR, GC-ECD, GC/GC-MS/MS-ion trap med PFC, SQ GCGC-MS, SQ GC-MS, SQ-GCMS-EAD (HES), 3 GC-FID, LC-QTOF, LC-RID, LC-DAD, LC-ICPMS, ICP-OES.

The four open Master by Research positions can shortly be presented as:

• One project (1 student) will focus on the degradation of lignocellulose material by wood decaying fungi and/or yeasts and the production of biochemicals, biofuels, meat substitutes and animal feed from the material
• One project (1 student) will focus on the use of algea for production of meat substitutes and animal feed
• One projects (1 student) will focus on analysis and synthesis of semiochemicals and investigation of their use in environmentally friendly protection of plants, trees and wood from insects and fungi.
• One project (1 student) will focus on analysis and synthesis of semiochemicals and investigation of their use in methods for conservation monitoring of threatened species.

The projects will be performed in close collaboration between all MbR students, with current and coming PhD students, post docs and professors in the Eco-Chemistry research group and collaborators within Mid Sweden University and at various universities in Sweden, Europe, America and Russia.

More information about the research group:
https://www.miun.se/en/Research/researchgroups/Eco-Chemistry/

Contact information

If you are interested in these open positions please contact Prof. Erik Hedenström.
E-mail: erik.hedenstrom@miun.se or telephone 010-142 87 29.