doc.fund Catalytic mechanisms and Applications of Oxidoreductases (CATALOX)

The doc.fund program “CATalytic mechanisms and AppLications of OXidoreductases" (CATALOX) is an international and interdisciplinary training program for doctoral students of Molecular Biosciences and Biotechnology at the Graz University of Technology and the University of Graz, Austria.

CATALOX connects the mechanistic understanding of redox enzymes on a molecular level with research on their synthetic application. Oxidoreductases are highly important biocatalysts for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The PhD projects are highly multidisciplinary between chemistry, biosciences and engineering and cover a wide range of topics from the generation of novel enzyme activities by protein engineering to the process intensification of multi-enzyme cascade reactions. Focus of the proposed research projects is on enzymes that utilize NAD(P) coenzymes and heme or flavin cofactors in their reactions. 

CATALOX was approved as 1 out of 6 Austrian consortia for a 4-year funding period starting in 10/2019 by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). The program is part of the cooperation between Graz University of Technology and University of Graz within the NAWI Graz framework. It includes a close collaboration to the Austrian Centre for Industrial Biotechnology to discuss the utility of our scientific discoveries for applications. The doc.funds program also offers a broad selection of translational education opportunities and provides graduates with the best education to become leading experts in a knowledge-based society.

The Faculty included supervisors from both Universities: