PhD Student in Molecular Nutrition and Strain Engineering

Job summary

This position involves conducting research on microbial foods to enhance their nutritional profiles through molecular nutrition and strain engineering. The role is part of a mission-oriented research program focusing on the design of microbial foods that are acceptable to consumers, healthy, sustainable, and scalable.

Qualifications

• Two-year Master’s degree in molecular biology, biotechnology, microbiology, nutrition science, or a related field.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.
• Familiarity with common IT systems and AI.

Responsibilities

• Identify nutritional limitations of fungal chassis and design engineering strategies to improve them.
• Engineer strains of Aspergillus and/or Yarrowia to enhance nutritional features without compromising taste or texture.
• Collaborate with protein chemistry and in vitro digestion teams to refine strain designs.
• Contribute to predictive models linking strain design to nutritional outcomes.

Skills

• Experience with molecular biology techniques, preferably in genetic engineering of fungi or yeast.
• Interest in nutrition science and food quality.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment.
• Curiosity and creativity in exploratory research.

Education

• A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field is required.

Tools

• Knowledge of molecular biology and genetic engineering tools is beneficial.