Postdoc in Fungal enzymology and Food science - DTU Bioengineering

Are you passionate about sustainability and innovation? Do you want to contribute to reshaping the human food supply chain and converting plant side-streams into appealing, high-quality food products? If so, we invite you to join the groundbreaking REFINES project as a Postdoctoral Researcher.

In this role, you will focus on developing enzyme-based biosolutions to eliminate off-flavors in plant-based materials, transforming them into desirable food sources. The REFINES project is a unique opportunity for you to make a lasting societal impact, while also strengthening your research profile within enzyme technology, mycotechnology, robotics, and data science – a highly sought after profile in both academia and industry.

You will join the Section for Synthetic biology at DTU Bioengineering that offers a unique open research environment that balances foundational science, multidisciplinary research, and innovation in close collaboration with leading national and international industry partners. 

The REFINES project and your responsibilities 

Your primary focus will be conducting research to create the foundational knowledge and develop the technologies needed to convert unutilized, protein-rich plant side-streams into valuable food products. This project specifically targets off-flavor molecules found in the high-quality protein side-streams from potato starch production—compounds that currently prevent these proteins from being used in human food. Together, we will identify and characterize these unknown off-flavor molecules and develop innovative enzyme-based solutions to eliminate them, making these valuable resources suitable for human consumption.

You will join a dynamic and interdisciplinary team of scientists with expertise in mycology, laboratory automation (robotics), molecular biology, analytical chemistry, data science, and food science.

The REFINES project is funded by the Plant2Food (NNF) program and is a collaboration between DTU and Aarhus University (Department of Food Science, Center for Circular Bioeconomy), alongside two of Europe's largest potato starch producers, KMC (Denmark) and Avebe (Netherlands). This unique collaboration provides access to exclusive biological materials and detailed process information, allowing the consortium to develop a deep understanding of the off-flavors and pioneer new, sustainable solutions.

You will be responsible for conducting and driving the research project forward. Initially, you will collaborate with the mycology team (IBT collection) to select relevant fungi for to tests for off-flavor degrading enzymes. You will then work closely with our automation specialist team to develop efficient, robotic-assisted screening and characterization assays, which you will use to screen the selected fungal isolates for off-flavor degrading activity. To identify the off-flavor degrading enzymes and their corresponding genes, you will leverage the DTU Bioengineering Proteomics core and whole-genome sequencing. The identified fungal genes will then be expressed heterologously using DTU Bioengineering’s automated strain construction pipeline, with the goal of validating their off-flavor degrading activity. The project goal is to discovery new families of industrially relevant fungal enzymes for off-flavor degradation, beyond the traditionally explored enzyme sequence space used in the industry.

You will also collaborate with natural product and food chemists at Aarhus University and industry partners to characterize the off-flavor profiles of various potato cultivars and discover new off-flavors.

The project will deliver new foundational knowledge about off-flavors in plant side-streams, create a new robotic-assisted enzyme screening and characterization pipeline, expand the enzyme solution space available to industry, and ultimately enable the use of plant side-streams by removing off-flavors.

Your primary tasks will be:

• Conduct laboratory-based research as described above.
• Communicate your findings through scientific papers, popular science articles, reports, and presentations at conferences.
• Supervise BSc, MSc, and PhD students.
• Ensure coordination of research activities across consortium partners.
• Contribute to the Plant2Food Open-Innovation-in-Science ecosystem that funds the project.
• Develop your research and competence profile.

Qualifications
As a formal qualification for this position, you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent) in biochemistry, biology, biotechnology, or mycology.

Additionally, you must:

• Have experience in laboratory-based experimental biology, focusing on biochemistry/enzymology or biotechnology/molecular biology.
• Possess a systematic and analytical mindset.
• Have a good command of English, both spoken and written.
• Be an effective team player, especially in an interdisciplinary setting.
• Be eager to learn new techniques and understand new scientific disciplines.

It’s a clear plus if you can code in Python, have experience with liquid-handling robots (Tecan Fluent/Evo, Hamilton MicroLab Star, Opentrons), or have worked with culturing filamentous fungi. However, these are not strict requirements—we can teach you.

We understand that the job description includes a daunting list of experimental techniques and expertise areas. Rest assured, you will receive adequate support and mentoring at every stage of the project. We are fully committed to investing in your professional development.

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility. 

The Section for Synthetic Biology hosts a unique open research environment marked by collaboration, free ideation, and knowledge sharing across research groups – we are a community rather than competitors.

This position offers opportunities to learn new skills in laboratory automation, genetic engineering, mycology, and data science under the mentorship of world-leading experts. Additionally, the project includes industrial partners, allowing you a chance to work in their application-focused laboratories and experience life in the private sector.

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.

The period of employment is 3 years, full time. 

The primary workplace will be the DTU campus in Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark, with the possibility of occasional visits to collaborators’ laboratories in Jutland (Denmark) and possibly the Netherlands.

The starting date is as soon as possible, ideally January 1, 2025.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information 
If you have questions regarding the position or the project, further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Rasmus J.N. Frandsen, head of the Section for Synthetic Biology (rasf@dtu.dk), at the Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (Bioengineering).

You can read more about the department at https://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  
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 25 November 2024 (23:59 Danish time). 

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• A cover letter (Application) that motivates your application for the postdoc position and describes how your competencies and experiences are relevant to the successful completion of the REFINES project.. 
• A CV that includes your educational background, work experience, publication summary, and teaching and supervision experience.  
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD – in English)
• A list of publications, including a short description of your contribution to each publication. 
• Your two best (relevant) published papers. 

Review and interviews may commence before the application deadline. 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.