Laboratory technician for fermentation and microbial biotechnology - DTU Bioengineering

Technical University of Denmark (DTU); Denmark; On-site; DKK 420,000 - 480,000; Full time

Job summary

Technical University of Denmark (DTU) invites applications for a Laboratory Technician position within microbial cultivation, microbiology and processes related to microbial fermentation. You will join the DTU Fermentation core team and collaborate with the Yeast Biotechnology Group within the Section for Synthetic Biology at DTU Bioengineering.

You will support projects, maintain the platform, and work in high-throughput screening, micro-fermentation and automation lab, with some affiliation to

Qualifications

• Practical experience with microbiology, including the handling of bacterial and/or fungal strains.
• Hands-on experience with cultivation and potentially fermentation technology.
• Experience with or interest to learn liquid handling robots and automation (e.g. Hamilton, Tecan EVO, or similar) and HPLC.

Responsibilities

• Active participant in research projects with independence to plan and carry out experiments essential to the section's output.
• Share responsibility for equipment maintenance and instructing project students and junior researchers.
• Assist in supporting practical teaching of Fermentation core courses and other section courses by preparing material or supporting students.
• Develop and implement methods and high-throughput approaches for speeding design, engineering and screening of microbial cell factories.

Skills

Microbiology

Cultivation

Automation

High-throughput screening

HPLC

Tools

Hamilton

Tecan EVO

Job description

Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (DTU Bioengineering) at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) invites applications for a position as Laboratory technician within microbial cultivation, microbiology and processes related to microbial fermentation. The position is placed within the Section for Synthetic Biology, where we are focusing on protein and small metabolite production (precision fermentation), strain engineering, microbial solutions, and technology and process development. The section contains 9 research groups and has a total staff of approx. 80, of which 16 are faculty.

Your primary role will be an active and key member of the DTU Fermentation core team, which also form the Yeast Biotechnology Group within the Section for Synthetic Biology. You will be supporting projects, maintaining the platform, and work within the high-throughput screening, micro-fermentation and automation lab. Moreover, you will also be partly affiliated with the Biomass Conversion Bioprocess Technology research group that investigates biomass utilization for microbial fermentation. You will join our laboratory technician team within the Section for Synthetic Biology, which works collectively on tasks for the section's research groups under the coordination of a laboratory coordinator. This means that you will also have interactions Section-wide across all research groups.

Primary areas of responsibility

• You will become an active participant in our research projects and will have a high degree of independence in planning and carrying out experimental work (experiments defined by the researchers) that is essential to the section's scientific output.
• Share responsibility for various equipment, for the general maintenance of our laboratories, and for instructing project students and junior researchers.
• You will assist in supporting the practical teaching of courses offered by the Fermentation core, and potentially also other practical courses offered by the section, by helping prepare material or actively support students during laboratory practicals.
• You will have an important role to assist “in-house” researchers as well as external fermentation platform customers, and in addition implement and develop methods, experiments and even high-throughput methodologies for speeding up the design, engineering and screening of superior microbial cell factories, which is a core focus of the section.

Our expectations of you

Our ideal candidate has preferably one or more of the following skills:

• Practical experience with microbiology, including the handling of bacterial and/or fungal strains.
• General knowledge of microbial physiology, and basic molecular biology of microbial strains
• Hands-on experience with cultivation - and potentially fermentation technology
• Experience with or an interest to learn liquid handling robots and automation (e.g. HAMILTON, Tecan EVO, or similar) and HPLC.

We are looking for an efficient and independent team worker, who has good communication skills, and a good team-work spirit.

What we offer in return

We offer an interesting and challenging job in an international atmosphere with the focus on research, teaching, innovation and scientific advice for the benefit of the surrounding community. We place emphasis on a high level of professionalism among our staff, so skills development is an integral part of our organization. We offer a great flexibility in the position. In the area of technical and natural sciences, DTU is one of the leading research and education institutions in Europe.

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.

Salary and appointment terms

Salary and appointment terms are in accordance with the OAO-S Joint Agreement and the organization agreement for Office Clerks, Laboratory Technicians and IT staff (HK/stat). In addition, supplements can be negotiated in accordance with DTU’s salary structure for clerical employees OR laboratory technicians: https://www.inside.dtu.dk/en/human-resources/during-employment/salary/salary-structures

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.

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829

DTU is one of Europe's leading elite technical universities. Through research and education at an international top level, we create solutions to the major societal challenges of our time and help secure Europe's global leadership in sustainable technological development. Since Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU almost 200 years ago, our mission has remained the same: We develop and create value through the natural and technical sciences for the benefit of society. DTU has 13,800 students, 1,600 PhD students, and 6,500 employees. We work in an international environment and have an inclusive, stimulating, and informal work culture. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities around the world.