Senior Synthetic Biologist, Metabolic Engineering - Remote

Placements24; Stellenbosch; Hybrid; ZAR 1,800,000 - 2,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health and wellness benefits

Professional development opportunities

State‑of‑the‑art facilities

Remote work options

Generous vacation

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Synthetic Biologist based in Paarl, Western Cape, with remote work options. You will design and construct novel biological systems and metabolic pathways for sustainable production of chemicals, materials, and biofuels, applying genetics, molecular biology and biochemical engineering principles.

The ideal candidate holds a PhD and 5+ years of industry or post‑doctoral experience in synthetic biology/metabolic engineering, with hands‑on fermentation and bioprocess

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field.
• Minimum of 5 years industry or post‑doctoral experience in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering.
• Proven track record designing and constructing complex genetic constructs and metabolic pathways.
• Hands‑on Fermentation and bioprocess optimization experience.
• Proficiency in molecular cloning techniques and gene editing tools.
• Experience with metabolic modeling and flux analysis is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Design, construct, and test synthetic gene circuits and metabolic pathways.
• Use CRISPR and Gibson Assembly for pathway optimization in microbial hosts.
• Develop high-throughput screening methods for pathway performance evaluation.
• Perform metabolic flux analysis and modeling to guide strain engineering.
• Optimize fermentation processes for target molecule production.
• Characterize microbial strains and fermentation products using analytical techniques.
• Troubleshoot experimental and process challenges with effective solutions.
• Collaborate with process engineers and downstream processing teams.
• Contribute to project planning, data analysis, and scientific reporting.

Skills

Gene circuit design

Metabolic engineering

CRISPR

Gibson Assembly

Fermentation optimization

Metabolic modeling

Molecular cloning

Bioprocess analysis

Analytical techniques

Remote collaboration

Education

PhD in Synthetic Biology, Metabolic Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Molecular Biology or related field

Tools

CRISPR

Gibson Assembly

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Synthetic Biologist based in Paarl, Western Cape, with remote work options. You will design and construct novel biological systems and metabolic pathways for sustainable production of chemicals, materials, and biofuels, applying genetics, molecular biology and biochemical engineering principles.

The ideal candidate holds a PhD and 5+ years of industry or post‑doctoral experience in synthetic biology/metabolic engineering, with hands‑on fermentation and bioprocess