Assistant Professorship (Tenure Track): Protein Engineering (CoE CircBioeng)

Tenure-track assistant professorship in protein engineering at TU Wien, held jointly by the Research Group for Bioorganic Synthetic Chemistry (Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry) and the Research Group Synthetic Biology and Molecular Biotechnology (Institute of Process Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Technical Biosciences). The holder builds a programme at the chemistry–biology interface. Areas include new-to-nature reactivities in protein scaffolds (e.g. carbene transfer, unnatural cross-couplings, photoreactions, non-canonical C–H functionalisation) and computational de novo protein design combining AI tools such as AlphaFold 3, RFdiffusion and ProteinMPNN with physics-based and QM/MM methods.

Further areas are ultra-high-throughput droplet sorting of libraries above 10^7 variants and active-learning design–build–test–learn cycles. Teaching in German and English covers protein engineering and related bioinformatics. The 6-year, 40-hour position can become an unlimited associate professorship after a positive tenure evaluation; minimum gross salary EUR 5,014.30, rising to EUR 5,904.00 as Assistant Professor (14 times a year).

Relevant doctorate; international postdoctoral experience; protein engineering focused on new-to-nature reactivity and in-silico protein methods (e.g. AlphaFold 3, machine learning, docking); biocatalysis, protein expression and purification, and genetic manipulation of microorganisms; ideally high-throughput library screening; leadership of funded projects; teaching aptitude in English and German; English at C1 and willingness to learn German; willingness to relocate to Vienna.