Mohammadhosein Rahimi and Nicholas Serlini, two PhD researchers specializing in microalgae biotechnology from UCD Algae group, have been awarded a scholarship by Green ERA-Hub for early career researchers.
This scholarship allows Mohammadhosein to embark on a research stay at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. During this stay, he will collaborate closely with Prof. Francisco Vilaplana’s research group at the Division of Glycoscience. Prof. Vilaplana's team specializes in elucidating eukaryotic cell wall architectures, with a focus on developing sustainable biotechnological strategies.Mohammadhosein’s visit is aimed at deepening our understanding of microalgal cell wall molecular components, crucial for unlocking the bioengineering potential of microalgae. His activities will include conducting a comprehensive analysis of microalgal cell wall composition and employing various biophysical techniques to characterize wall assembly and ultrastructure.
Nicholas will work with Professor Anne S. Meyer, Head of Protein Chemistry & Enzyme Technology, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Section for Protein Chemistry and Enzyme Technology, for the duration of the internship, Sept-Dec 2024. In the Section for Protein Chemistry and Enzyme Technology, they aim to develop new sciences related to biocatalysts, protein- and enzyme-structure function relations, enzyme-substrate interactions, biocatalytic mechanisms, and conversion of energy relations and kinetics. During his internship at DTU, Nicholas will test different enzymes (or cocktails of enzymes) from their wide-ranging enzyme collection to attain optimal disruption of microalgal cell walls. He also aims to use a comprehensive suite of analytical methods, including high-performance anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) available in their carbohydrate analysis platform, to analyse the composition of microalgae cell walls and assess the disruption of microalgae cell walls.
Contact UCD Algae Group
School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
T: +353 89 605 4447 | E: ronald.halim@ucd.ie