Lead Microbiologist – Environmental Biotech & Bioremediation

Placements24; Polokwane; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and benefits

Professional development opportunities

Modern laboratory facilities

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Senior Microbiologist in Polokwane, Limpopo, to lead innovative projects in environmental remediation and industrial biotechnology. You will guide a team of researchers, design experiments, and optimize microbial processes from lab to scale, using molecular tools and genomics to advance sustainable solutions.

This role demands a Ph.D. with 6+ years of applied microbiology experience and strong leadership.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Microbiology, Microbial Ecology, Biotechnology, or related field.
• 6+ years post-doctoral or industry experience in applied microbiology.
• Experience with molecular biology tools for microbial analysis.
• Experience developing and scaling up microbial processes for industrial applications.
• Strong leadership and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead R&D projects focused on microbiology in environmental and industrial settings.
• Isolate, characterize, and cultivate diverse microbial species from environmental samples.
• Develop and optimize microbial processes for bioremediation, biofuel production, enzyme production, and waste valorization.
• Design and conduct experiments to assess microbial community dynamics and functions.
• Utilize molecular techniques (DNA extraction, PCR, sequencing) for microbial identification and analysis.
• Mentor junior scientists and contribute to strategic planning of the microbiology division.

Skills

Microbial cultivation

Molecular biology techniques

Project management

Leadership

Data analysis

Education

Ph.D. in Microbiology or related field

Tools

qPCR

Sanger sequencing

NGS library preparation

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Senior Microbiologist in Polokwane, Limpopo, to lead innovative projects in environmental remediation and industrial biotechnology. You will guide a team of researchers, design experiments, and optimize microbial processes from lab to scale, using molecular tools and genomics to advance sustainable solutions.

This role demands a Ph.D. with 6+ years of applied microbiology experience and strong leadership.