Associate Professor (Independent Group Leader) in Data Science and Modelling of Whole-Cell Biosolutions - DTU Bioengineering

Are you ready to shape the future of sustainable agriculture? Join DTU Bioengineering as one of three new faculty hires in the Initiative for Biofertilizer Innovation and Science (IBIS), and contribute to building a world-class research hub focused on advancing microbial solutions for a sustainable future.

DTU Bioengineering is excited to announce three open faculty positions at the assistant or associate professor level, as part of the newly launched global initiative for Biofertilizer Innovation and Science. IBIS is a bold, five-year open-science initiative with the ambition to revolutionize whole-cell biosolutions in agriculture (BioAg). Our goal is to advance the fundamental understanding of what makes an effective biofertilizer and to develop the enabling technologies and translational framework needed to bring robust and affordable microbial solutions to farmers across the globe. The initiative is backed by 210 million DKK (approximately 30 million USD) in combined funding from the Gates Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Central to the initiative is the development of an open R&D playbook—freely accessible to researchers worldwide—to accelerate the discovery, maturation, and deployment of scientifically validated microbial biofertilizers.

DTU is coordinating the newly established IBIS consortium, which brings together leading partners from across Europe, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Each partner contributes unique expertise and experimental capacity spanning the entire biofertilizer R&D pipeline—from laboratory research to field implementation.

Together, the consortium will build a comprehensive Biosolutions Development Pipeline for microbial biofertilizers (whole-cell biosolutions), covering all key stages: discovery, characterization, fermentation, formulation, in planta performance, and in-field evaluation. DTU will host the laboratory phase of the pipeline, harnessing advanced robotic workflows and high-throughput screening technologies. Field trials and upscaling activities will be carried out through partner institutions across both the Global South and North, ensuring real-world testing across diverse agricultural contexts. Beyond the research itself, IBIS aims to implement standardized experimental protocols, harmonized data formats, and transparent documentation practices—laying the foundation for reproducible and collaborative research in biofertilizer innovation.

The IBIS development pipeline is designed to enable high-throughput benchmarking and advancement of new whole-cell–based biosolutions, supporting their journey from discovery to market launch. The IBIS consortium will use the pipeline to systematically evaluate hundreds of microbial biofertilizer strains, generating large-scale datasets across all stages—from laboratory experiments (thousands of strains) to in-field testing of up to 800 strains. The scale and standardized approach will create a unique foundation for advanced data analysis, including AI, machine learning, and statistical modeling, aimed at uncovering the key traits that define successful microbial biofertilizers, and to develop predictive models that can guide the rational design of next-generation BioAg products tailored for diverse agricultural systems around the world.

This Associate Professor position is one of three open faculty positions in IBIS, offering a unique opportunity to join a dedicated, international team of scientists working within the IBIS initiative at DTU and its partner institutions worldwide. You will work collaboratively to address foundational biological questions about the biology of microbial biofertilizers, enabling efficient engineering and development of solutions. Your contributions will also include developing and implementing new technologies essential to the Biosolutions Development Pipeline, as well as contributing to generating the comprehensive benchmarking dataset spanning laboratory to field.

Responsibilities
This position addresses one key scientific challenge in the IBIS initiative: the persistent disconnect between laboratory findings and the real-world performance of microbial biofertilizer solutions in the field. Your research will aim to close this gap by developing predictive models that leverage the unique benchmarking datasets generated in IBIS through the Development Pipeline. The establishment of efficient predictive tools connecting the lab-to-field performance will be a significant breakthrough for the rational design and deployment of next-generation BioAg products.

Your role in the IBIS development pipeline will be to integrate and analyze the high-dimensional benchmarking datasets to uncover patterns of performance across the R&D pipeline. Your work will begin with short-range predictive modelling within individual development stages and progress toward long-range predictions that link laboratory behavior to in-field outcomes. The available datasets will include standardized and richly annotated data on microbial bioactivity, metabolomics, genomics, metagenomics, taxonomy, fermentation (from mL to hL scale), physiology, in planta performance, and field trial results. 

You will establish your own research group at DTU and collaborate closely with the other DTU IBIS teams working in Discovery & Characterization and Fermentation. Your team will include a dedicated postdoctoral researcher (5 years) and a data specialist (5 years). 

We also expect you to take a leading role in the Global IBIS Data Science Team and collaborate closely with the Global Fermentation and Agronomy science teams to ensure alignment in experimental design, data formats, and analysis protocols. This coordination is key for IBIS to develop robust predictive models that bridge the lab–field divide and advance the broader field of whole-cell microbial biosolutions.

Note: A dedicated team of software engineers will be responsible for the data framework for IBIS, allowing you to focus on data science/scientific computing.

Teaching Responsibility:
Capacity building in the Global South and North is key to enabling local R&D communities and broad adoption of biofertilizer solutions. All three positions include contributing to two IBIS courses: one theoretical, on BioAg biosolution development, and one practical, on the technologies and workflows of the Biosolutions Development Pipeline. Teaching will align with your area of expertise.

At the department level, you are also expected to contribute to relevant DTU courses through lectures and to supervise student projects at both the BSc and MSc levels.

Research Independence and Long-Term Development 
In addition to joining the IBIS initiative, you will also become a part of the Section for Synthetic Biology at DTU Bioengineering. We expect you to develop an independent research profile that complements the expertise of the existing faculty within the Section and the Department. 

While this position comes with a set of predefined research and teaching obligations, the initiative leaves ample room for you to build and shape your own research group at a leading technical university. In the early years, IBIS’s activities (and yours) will focus on developing the essential technologies, establishing the pipeline, and benchmarking existing biofertilizers. From year three onwards, the focus will shift toward addressing a set of predefined foundational questions within basic cellular biology, agriculture and manufacturing using the developed Pipeline and technologies. This setup will provide freedom to pursue individual research endeavors, provided they align with the overarching goals of IBIS, and is designed to support your establishment of an independent and impactful research program at DTU Bioengineering. Beyond the research initiative, we expect that your group’s research activities will mature to a level where they can be sustained through external funding that you secure. 

Qualifications
You must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent) as well as academic qualifications at a level equivalent to those achieved through an Assistant Professorship, including documented training in university-level teaching and pedagogy.

DTU operates in both Danish and English. You are expected to be fluent in at least one of these languages and, over time, to develop proficiency in both to a level that enables you to teach in either language.

You will be assessed against the responsibilities and qualifications stated above and the following general criteria:

• Experience and quality of teaching 
• Research experience 
• Research vision and potential
• International impact and experience 
• Societal impact
• Innovativeness, including commercialization and collaboration with industry
• Leadership, collaboration, and interdisciplinary skills
• Communication skills

Salary and terms of employment
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. 

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information
If you would like additional information about the position, please contact Associate Professor Rasmus John Normand Frandsen via email rasf@bio.dtu.dk or +45 452 52708.

You can read more about DTU Bioengineering at www.bioengineering.dtu.dk. 

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark.

Application procedure
Please submit your online application no later than 5 September 2025 (23:59 Danish time). Applications must be submitted as a single PDF file containing all required materials to be considered. To apply, please click on the "Apply now" link, complete the online application form, and upload all your materials in English as a single PDF file in the resume field. The file must include:

• Application (cover letter)
• Vision for teaching and research 
• CV including employment history, list of publications indicating scientific highlights, H-index and ORCID (see http://orcid.org/)
• Teaching portfolio including documentation of teaching experience
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD)

You can learn more about the recruitment process here.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

The Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (DTU Bioengineering) is an international leader in the areas of biotechnology and biomedicine. Our engineering approach to all aspects of biotechnology and biomedicine positions us as a valuable player with unique competences in a growing bio-based economy and with health systems transforming towards personalized medicine. We have a clear focus on the needs in the life science- and biotech industries and point towards innovation, new businesses, and scientific services for the benefit of society. The department has extensive collaborations with national and international research units and industry. DTU Bioengineering has approx. 400 employees, of which 2/3 are scientific staff. The department is located at DTU Lyngby Campus.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.