Biotechnology R&D Intern (Fermentation & Bioprocessing)

Fooditive Group; Rotterdam; On-site; EUR 6,100 - 6,700; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Monthly €550 internship allowance

Certificate of completion and personal

Equal-opportunity employer

Job summary

Fooditive is offering an on-site internship in Rotterdam focused on supporting biotechnology development across strain engineering, fermentation, downstream processing and partner activities.

You will review and document R&D activities with external partners, helping organise experimental information and interpret results, while learning how fermentation moves from early experiments to manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Current study or recent graduation in Biotechnology or related field.
• Strong ownership, reliability and collaborative mindset.
• Good attention to detail and ability to work with data.

Responsibilities

• Support strain engineering review and organization of programmes.
• Assist with documentation of DNA sequences, plasmids and constructs.
• Help prepare experimental plans and instructions for external labs.
• Organise fermentation condition data and compare results.
• Review downstream processing steps and analytical data.

Education

Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Biochemical Engineering, Food Biotechnology, Food Science (related)

Job description

Support biotechnology development across strain engineering, fermentation, downstream processing and technical partner activities.

Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Working arrangement: On-site internship at Fooditive’s Rotterdam office

Hours: 32 hours per week

Duration: 6 months

Start date: As soon as possible

Allowance: €550 per month

About the internship

This internship sits at the centre of Fooditive’s precision fermentation development work. Under the guidance of the Fooditive team, you will support the planning, review and documentation of R&D activities carried out by our external partners: you will help organise experimental information, review partner-generated results, compare technical options and formulate the questions that shape the next stage of development.

Please note that Fooditive does not operate an in-house laboratory, so this is not a traditional bench-lab internship. You will be working with the science rather than at the bench, which gives you an unusually broad view of how a fermentation process moves from early experiments to manufacturing.

Who we are looking for

We care about how you work, not where you come from. Background, age, gender, nationality and career path are not filters for us. The qualities that matter are these: you take ownership, you can be trusted to run with something and see it through, and you make the people around you better. If that sounds like you, we would like to meet you.

Main responsibilities

Strain engineering and molecular biology

• Support the review and organisation of strain-development programmes.
• Work with documentation relating to DNA sequences, plasmid maps, genetic constructs and microbial expression systems.
• Help prepare experimental plans and technical instructions for external laboratories.

Fermentation

• Organise and compare fermentation conditions, process parameters and experimental results.
• Support the review of media, expression strategies and relevant process variables.
• Review partner-generated fermentation data and summarise performance across experimental runs.

Downstream processing and analytics

• Support the review of downstream-processing steps, including clarification, separation, purification and concentration where relevant.
• Compare recovery, yield, purity and process performance across different approaches.
• Support the interpretation of analytical results, including SDS-PAGE, ELISA and protein-concentration data.

Documentation and partner coordination

• Conduct focused scientific literature searches and prepare concise technical summaries.
• Maintain clear records of experiments, constructs, results, decisions and open technical questions.
• Help gather and organise scientific information requested by R&D, manufacturing and commercial partners.
• Support the tracking of external partner activities, sample movements, project milestones and follow-up actions.

What we are looking for

• You are currently studying or have recently completed a degree in Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Bioprocess Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Food Biotechnology, Food Science or a closely related discipline.
• You take ownership: you set your own next step rather than waiting to be told twice.
• You work well unsupervised, comfortable making a call and equally comfortable flagging when you are stuck.
• Good foundational knowledge of recombinant protein expression and microbial biotechnology.
• Familiarity with molecular biology concepts, including cloning, plasmids and genetic constructs.
• Basic understanding of microbial fermentation, protein production and downstream processing.
• Ability to read scientific reports and work carefully with experimental data.
• Good attention to detail and sound scientific reasoning.
• Willingness to learn, ask questions and work collaboratively with internal and external teams.
• Currently based in the Netherlands and legally eligible to undertake an internship here, as an EU or EEA national or through a valid permit. Fooditive cannot provide visa sponsorship or relocation support for this internship.

Considered a plus

• Familiarity with E. coli expression systems.
• Experience with SDS-PAGE, ELISA or protein purification.
• Exposure to fermentation analysis, strain engineering or bioprocess development.

What we offer

• Practical experience supporting real biotechnology R&D projects.
• Exposure to work conducted with specialist laboratories, CDMOs and manufacturing partners.
• Insight into how biotechnology processes develop from early experiments to scale-up and partner implementation.
• Regular scientific supervision, guidance and performance feedback.
• Opportunities to strengthen your skills in experimental review, scientific communication and partner-based R&D coordination.
• A monthly internship allowance of €550.
• A certificate of completion and, where appropriate, a personal recommendation based on performance.

About Fooditive

Fooditive is a Rotterdam-based food biotechnology company developing ingredient technologies through precision fermentation and related bioprocessing approaches. Our scientific work is conducted in collaboration with specialist laboratories, research organisations, fermentation partners and manufacturing partners.

Fooditive is an equal-opportunity employer. We welcome applications from every background and are glad to discuss adjustments to the application process if you need them.