Systematic approach towards high-level protein production in yeast

Recent developments in enzyme engineering have leveraged advances in machine learning, directed evolution, and synthetic biology to design more efficient and specific biocatalysts. These innovations have significantly enhanced the ability to tailor enzymes for industrial processes, from pharmaceutical synthesis to sustainable biofuel production. The importance of enzyme engineering lies in its potential to replace harsh chemical processes with greener, more sustainable alternatives, contributing to cleaner manufacturing and environmental preservation. Despite progress in enzyme engineering, a systematic approach to analyzing enzyme production—spanning construction, expression, and activity—remains underdeveloped. To address this gap, the PhD project plans to implement a high-throughput platform that enables rapid construction, expression, and screening of enzyme variants for comprehensive performance analysis. The project is carried out in close collaboration with AS TFTAK - an independent Research Institute in Tallinn, Estonia.

Supervisors: Petri-Jaan Lahtvee, Srðan Gavrilović, Steven van der Hoek