Key Skills

Job Description

At DANU Strain Engineering, we combine predictive metabolic modelling, hands-on strain engineering, and fermentation to develop microbial production systems for industrial applications. We are growing our laboratory team and looking for a senior scientist who can take technical ownership of commercial projects from genetic design to experimental results. This is an active bench-science role with genuine responsibility. You will work in a small team, collaborate closely with our ArtemisAI modelling colleagues and help turn promising biological designs into production strains that work. What you will do · Independently design genetic constructs and engineering strategies for both bacterial and yeast production hosts. · Build and verify strains using classical and modern molecular biology and genetic engineering approaches. · Plan, perform, troubleshoot and analyse experiments, including strain screening and characterisation. · Translate production goals and modelling hypotheses into practical engineering and testing plans. · Take scientific ownership of assigned commercial projects, their milestones and technical reporting. · Contribute to discussions with industrial partners and communicate progress and risks before they become surprises. · Help improve laboratory methods, documentation and the way modelling, strain engineering and fermentation work together. Who you are You have substantial hands-on experience in microbial strain engineering. Crucially, you have personally designed genetic strategies and carried them through in both bacteria and yeasts, not simply followed existing protocols. · MSc or PhD in a relevant life-science discipline, or equivalent demonstrated technical capability. · Strong experience with classical methods: cloning, vector and construct design, transformation, genomic integration and homologous recombination. · 5 years experience in the strain engineering field · Confidence troubleshooting unsuccessful builds and designing meaningful follow-up experiments. · A sound understanding of microbial physiology and metabolism. . Experience running fermentors is a plus! · Experience taking responsibility for project outcomes and explaining the science clearly. · Professional proficiency in English. · Pro-active team member and good communicator · Start-up mentality Experience with industrial yeast hosts, metabolic engineering, fermentation or recombinant proteins is especially useful. We mostly use classical genetic engineering approaches; CRISPR experience is a bonus, not a prerequisite. You do not need to be an AI developer to work effectively with our modelling team. The way you work is just as important We want someone who takes initiative and is comfortable stepping up. You speak up when an experiment takes an unexpected turn, bring ideas rather than only problems, and give your colleagues clear updates without having to be chased for them. You know when to make a decision and when to bring others in. Good experimental records, honest communication and scientific rigour are part of how you work every day. What you can expect · Challenging industrially relevant projects across microbial production systems. · Substantial independence, scientific ownership and hands-on laboratory work. · Direct collaboration with computational biology, strain engineering and fermentation specialists. · A small multidisciplinary team in Groningen where your decisions make a difference. · Room to contribute to experimental strategy, methods and future team development. · Employment terms appropriate to your experience, to be discussed during the recruitment process. About DANU DANU Strain Engineering is a Groningen-based biotechnology company designing microbial production systems for materials, proteins and chemicals. We combine mechanistic modeling and ArtemisAI predictive modelling with strain engineering and fermentation to connect biological design to real-world production requirements. Interested? Send your CV and a short introduction describing your bacterial and yeast engineering experience, including one challenging genetic-design or troubleshooting project that you personally led. Applications: send to [email protected] | Hours: full-time/ part-time | Salary: TBD dependent on experience danustrainengineering.com

Core Responsibilities

Design and build bacterial and yeast production strains, then plan, conduct, troubleshoot, and analyze experiments to evaluate their performance. Own technical delivery and reporting for commercial projects, collaborate with modeling and fermentation colleagues, and communicate progress and risks to industrial partners.

Requirements

Requires an MSc, PhD, or equivalent demonstrated technical capability, at least five years of strain-engineering experience, and hands-on experience designing and executing genetic strategies in both bacteria and yeast. Candidates should be skilled in classical genetic engineering, experimental troubleshooting, microbial physiology and metabolism, and clear project communication; fermentor experience and CRISPR are bonuses.