About this role
This is NTNU NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim. At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world. You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here. Video: https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0 About the Job We have a vacancy for a full-time three year researcher at the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU. The position is linked to AIMARIA – Accelerating Innovation in Marine AI-Powered Bioprospecting, a Horizon Europe Innovation Action coordinated by NTNU. AIMARIA combines omics, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, bioprocess development and sustainability assessment to accelerate the discovery and sustainable production of marine and aquatic natural products. At NTNU, a central part of the project is the development of more predictable and efficient methods for the refactoring and heterologous expression of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). The researcher will have a leading role in developing NTNUs experimental platform for BGC expression. The work will combine molecular biology, microbial strain engineering and synthetic biology with AI-supported design of regulatory DNA elements and expression constructs. The researcher will work closely with a PhD candidate recruited to the same scientific activity and with national and international partners in the AIMARIA consortium. The position is well suited for a researcher who would like to develop and apply advanced synthetic-biology methods to challenging microbial expression systems and contribute to the production of biologically active natural products and enzymes. Your immediate leader is Head of the department. Duties of the position Develop and implement strategies for the design, refactoring and heterologous expression of biosynthetic gene clusters. Design and construct expression systems, including promoters, 5′ untranslated regions and other regulatory DNA elements. Engineer and evaluate microbial host strains for the expression of complex biosynthetic pathways. Analyse and interpret molecular, expression and production data. Coordinate relevant NTNU activities with partners in the AIMARIA consortium. Contribute to project deliverables, scientific reports, presentations and peer-reviewed publications. Present project results at consortium meetings, scientific conferences and relevant stakeholder events. The distribution of duties may be adjusted according to the candidate’s qualifications and the scientific development of the project. Required selection criteria A completed PhD in synthetic biology, molecular biology, biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry, biochemical engineering or another relevant discipline. Documented hands-on experience in BGC refactoring, molecular cloning, DNA assembly and genetic engineering of microorganisms. Experience with heterologous gene expression, metabolic engineering, pathway engineering or related microbial biotechnology. Ability to plan, conduct, document and analyse experimental research independently. Experience with the analysis and interpretation of biological data. A scientific publication record relevant to the position. Excellent written and oral English language skills. The PhD degree must have been completed and documented by the application deadline. Preferred selection criteria Experience with biosynthetic gene clusters or microbial natural-product pathways. Experience with Streptomyces, actinomycetes or other microbial hosts used for heterologous BGC expression. Experience with assembly, manipulation or expression of large DNA constructs. Experience with promoter engineering, regulatory-sequence design or optimisation of microbial gene expression. Experience with CRISPR-based genome engineering or other advanced strain-engineering methods. Knowledge of bioinformatics, DNA-sequence analysis or computational design tools. Experience with high-throughput experimental workflows, automation or design–build–test–learn cycles. Experience with microbial cultivation, fermentation or bioprocess development. Experience with metabolite analysis or interpretation of LC–MS or related analytical data. Experience with supervision of students or junior researchers. Experience from international or externally funded collaborative research projects. Knowledge of research-data management, open science and FAIR data principles. Personal characteristics Scientifically curious and motivated to solve complex experimental problems. Able to work independently while contributing actively to a collaborative research environment. Structured, systematic and attentive to experimental documentation and data quality. Proactive and able to move work forward across several parallel activities. Able to communicate clearly with researchers from different scientific and professional backgrounds. Supportive and constructive in the supervision of students and junior colleagues. Flexible and comfortable working in a large international consortium. In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability, as well as motivation, in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement. We offer Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment An open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues Experience with coordination of a large EU-funded biotechnology and bioeconomy project. Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund employee benefits Salary and conditions As a researcher (code 1109) you are normally renumerated depending on qualifications and seniority. As required by law, 2% of this salary will be deducted and paid into the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. The posi