Graduate Student Positions Available

See the links below to learn more about current graduate student positions available in the School of Environmental Sciences. There are likely opportunities beyond those listed here; you are encouraged to contact faculty members conducting research in your area of interest to investigate additional opportunities.

Faculty-For those looking to advertise a position, please fill out the template form (see file attachments at bottom of this page) and submit to ses.gradsec@uoguelph.ca to have it posted here.

Graduate Positions Available

Conversion of poultry mortality hydrolysate to lactic acid, a building block for renewable bioproducts

Reducing the environmental impact of the Canadian poultry industry can be achieved directly through changes in management practice, and indirectly through development of new sustainable technologies. This study is focused on a novel strategy for both managing poultry mortalities, which represent economic loss/negative environmental impact/biosecurity risk, and production of value-added renewable platform chemicals and biomolecules. We have developed an ambient alkaline hydrolysis (AMAHY) process that economically solubilizes and stabilizes poultry mortalities. The student working on this project will investigate using the hydrolysate to produce higher-value products by using it as a growth medium for industrially relevant microbes. We would like to investigate use of AMAHY hydrolysate as a nitrogen source for fermentative production of lactic acid, which is a platform chemical precursor used to manufacture bioplastics, polyacrylates, food flavoring, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and more.

This project has 3 years of funding to support a PhD student. Applicants should have experience in microbiology and interest in multidisciplinary applied research, including engineering, biology, and agriculture. This research will be conducted at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus, at the Centre for Agricultural Renewable Energy and Sustainability.

Start Date: September 2019 or until a suitable candidate has been found.

Contact: Please contact Dr. Brandon Gilroyed at bgilroye@uoguelph.ca to inquire further about this position.

Brandon Gilroyed

Associate Professor, School of Environmental Sciences

Director, Centre for Agricultural Renewable Energy and Sustainability

University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus

Ridgetown, ON, Canada; N0P 2C0

+1-519-674-1500 ext.63605