Entrepreneurial Strain Engineering Scientist specializing in sweet proteins
Consuming added sugars in various foods has been linked to numerous health issues, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Imagine being part of a team that’s developing innovative sweet proteins – which offer a highly promising alternative as a non-nutritive sweetener.
Are you passionate about developing innovative sweet proteins? Do you want to make a meaningful impact on the future of food and contribute to a sustainable solution to the world’s sugar problem? Are you excited about being part of a team that combines food science and synthetic biology to lay the foundation for a new start-up?
Join us at The BioInnovation Institute (BII) in Nørrebro, where we are currently looking for an entrepreneurial Strain Engineering Scientist to contribute to our new Bio Studio project, Sweet Bliss.
About BII and Sweet Bliss
Supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, BII is dedicated to creating life science solutions that address unmet societal and health needs. Our Bio Studio program is designed to build life science start-ups rooted in world-class research. Bio Studio projects are three-year, grant-funded initiatives led by top researchers from institutions worldwide. These projects blend scientific innovation with commercial viability and the potential for significant societal or health impact. The goal of Sweet Bliss is to establish a startup within three years, focusing on the development of sweet proteins.
At BII, we are building a strong project team for each Bio Studio initiative, with the expectation that this team will form the core of the future start-up. In addition to establishing a solid project team led by the Entrepreneur in Residence Ali Fallah-Araghi (LinkedIn profile), BII provides access to a comprehensive network of industry professionals, investors, and subject matter experts.
Your Opportunity to join BII Bio Studio in a new project: Sweet Bliss
We are launching a three-year project within planetary health, led by the highly respected Principal Investigator Morten Sommer from DTU (LinkedIn profile). We are seeking a passionate Strain Engineering Scientist to join us, leading the design and optimisation of microbial strains used to produce our sweet proteins. You will be responsible for the genetic engineering of microbial hosts (yeast and fungi) to enhance protein expression, stability, and yield through strain engineering.
You will be part of the Synthetic Biology project, Sweet Bliss, which aims to design and produce sweet proteins with versatile functional properties for use as sweeteners in beverages and baked goods. These products will be developed with a focus on sustainability, minimizing environmental impact.
Your role will involve working within an early-stage, research-driven team dedicated to engineering and developing new foods using sweet proteins. The team comprises experienced scientists and research assistants, all committed to making a difference by developing novel sweet proteins.
Your Responsibilities:
- Lead the design, development, and optimization of microbial strains to produce sweet proteins by improving expression levels, yield, and functionality.
- Use genetic engineering techniques such as CRISPR, genome editing, pathway engineering, and directed evolution to modify microbial strains.
- Optimize metabolic pathways and fermentation processes to increase efficiency.
- Evaluate methods for separation of sweet proteins from the fermentation broth
- Analyse experimental data using bioinformatics and statistical tools and evaluate metrics such as protein yield, purity and metabolic efficiency.
- In collaboration with HTS scientist construct and screen large libraries of genetically engineered strains.
- Characterize engineered strains using molecular biology and omics approaches.
- Collaborate with fermentation scientists to increase production efficiently.
- Collaborate with the formulation team to ensure the produced sweet proteins meet the standards.
Your Objectives with your team:
- Establishing and leading the flow of expression and purification of new sweet protein variants
- Engineer the best strain for high yield production of sweet proteins
- Develop primary purification process for product recovery
- Writing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for future production
What We’re Looking For
We are seeking a candidate who is eager to work with sweet proteins in a fast-paced, innovative environment. You will be part of a team with the potential to revolutionize the sweeteners market and positively impact people across the globe. You are inspired by the mission of Sweet Bliss to provide a sustainable solution to the world’s sugar problem.
Your Qualifications:
- Ph.D. in Biotechnology or another relevant field.
- 1-3 years of post-PhD experience, with industrial experience being a plus
- Previous experience with yeast and fungi
- Working experience in fermentation process is a plus
- Ability to work independently, plan and execute complex research tasks, and effectively communicate results both orally and in writing.
- Strong organizational skills, efficiency, and a results-oriented mindset with excellent record-keeping abilities.
Why Work at BII?
At BII, we offer a committed and professional workplace where your growth and development are prioritized. A career at BII allows you to collaborate with world-leading entrepreneurial scientists in a role where you can significantly impact your work and develop your entrepreneurial skills.
Join us and be part of a dynamic and professional environment where you can bring ideas to life and translate science into real-world solutions that benefit society.
Interested in Learning More?
For more information, feel free to contact Ali Fallah-Araghi, Entrepreneur in Residence for Sweet Bliss, at afa@biostudio.dk. The deadline for applications is September 18th, 2024, but we will conduct interviews on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter by clicking the “Apply now” button.