Entrepreneurial High throughput Screening (HTS) Scientist to join new Sweet Protein Project
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 driven by the challenge of creating groundbreaking sweet proteins? Do you aspire to shape the future of food and help solve the global sugar crisis with sustainable solutions? Do you want to join a team, where food science meets synthetic biology, and be a key player in building an innovative new start-up from the ground up?
Join us at The BioInnovation Institute (BII) in Nørrebro, where we are currently looking for an entrepreneurial HTS 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 startup. 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 HTS Scientist to join us, responsible for designing, executing, and optimizing high throughput screening assays to identify and characterize sweet protein variants with enhanced functionalities.
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:
- Design, develop, and optimize high throughput screening (HTS) assays to identify sweet protein candidates with desired properties such as sweetness and stability.
- Assay development to assess sweet protein activity, potency and performance
- Build and screen diverse libraries for sweet protein functionality or yield improvement of the production strain
- Proficient in using NGS and Nanopore for enrichment of mutants
- Collaborate with protein designer to integrate screening results with protein structure-function relationship
- Collaborate with strain engineer to screen large libraries of genetically engineered strains.
- Collaborate with the formulation team to ensure the produced sweet proteins meet the standards
Your Objectives with your team
- Lead the screening effort at different scales
- Establish a protein purification flow
- Automate when operations are established
- 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
- Practical experience with HTS assay development, automation platforms, and screening technologies (e.g., fluorescence, luminescence, absorbance-based assays)
- General knowledge about GPCR receptors and hands-on experience with assay development with GPCR receptors
- Working experience with automation
- Experience with protein engineering, directed evolution, mutagenesis and library construction
- Experience with data analysis software
- Screening in droplet-based microfluidic (FADS) format or FACS is a plus
- Experience in strain and protein engineering 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 18th of September 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.