Postdoctoral Fellowship: Postdoctoral Researcher in Automated Microbial Phenotyping and Predictive Assay Development — DTU Bioengineering

About the role

Shape the future of sustainable agriculture as a Postdoctoral Researcher in Automated Microbial Phenotyping and Predictive Assay Development at DTU Bioengineering. You will join the global Initiative for Biofertilizer Innovation and Science (IBIS), a five-year open-science consortium supported by 210 million DKK (approximately 30 million USD) from the Gates Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. IBIS is coordinated by DTU and brings together leading partners from Europe, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa to establish an open Biosolutions Development Pipeline covering microbial discovery, characterization, fermentation, formulation, in planta performance, and field evaluation. As part of the High-Throughput & Automation team, you will develop robotics-assisted high-throughput microbial phenotyping assays that generate quantitative, predictive data for screening and characterizing microbial biofertilizers. Working at the interface of microbiology, automation, and data science, you will identify microbial traits linked to manufacturability, formulation robustness, fermentation performance, and field performance, providing the foundation for predictive models and data-driven strain advancement across the pipeline. This is a two-year postdoctoral position with a start date of September 1, 2026, or soonest thereafter.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, validate, and optimize automated high-throughput microbial phenotyping assays for bacterial and fungal biofertilizer strains.
• Identify and quantify microbial functional traits predictive of strain performance.
• Translate and optimize phenotyping assays into robotics-assisted high-throughput workflows that generate standardized, traceable, high-quality biological datasets.
• Generate, analyze, and interpret phenotypic data sets to identify informative features supporting predictive models and data-driven strain selection.
• Evaluate and refine assay performance using statistical analysis and predictive model feedback to improve robustness, reproducibility, and throughput.
• Develop SOPs, validation criteria, and documentation to ensure reproducibility and long-term platform utility.
• Collaborate with microbiologists, fermentation scientists, automation specialists, and data scientists to integrate predictive phenotyping workflows into the IBIS Biosolutions Development Pipeline.
• Contribute to scientific publications, student supervision, teaching activities, and dissemination of research results.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

• PhD in microbiology, biotechnology, microbial ecology, bioengineering, industrial microbiology, analytical chemistry, analytical sciences, or a related field.
• Experience developing, optimizing, and validating biological or microbial assays.
• Strong understanding of experimental design, controls, reproducibility, and assay validation.
• Experience with microbial strain phenotyping or functional screening.
• Understanding of microbial biology to design biologically meaningful assays and interpret phenotypic data.
• Experience analyzing biological datasets using quantitative and data-driven approaches to guide assay development and strain selection.
• Good Python programming skills for data analysis and scripting, with the ability to learn and adapt laboratory automation workflows.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with automated high-throughput microbial screening or laboratory automation platforms (e.g., Tecan, Hamilton, Opentrons).
• Experience with large-scale biological datasets; familiarity with predictive modeling or machine learning is an advantage.

You will thrive in this role if you enjoy an interdisciplinary and international research environment, work independently while collaborating across an international consortium, and are curious, proactive, and motivated to develop new technologies and continuously improve experimental workflows.

What we offer

DTU is a leading technical university recognized globally for excellence in research, education, innovation, and scientific advice. You will join an international environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered with responsibility. The appointment is based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Salary supplements can be negotiated according to DTU’s salary structure for scientific staff. This is a full-time position for two years.

How to apply

Submit your complete online application no later than 31 July 2026 (23:59 Danish time). Applications must be compiled into one PDF file in English containing: a cover letter (max 1 page), a CV (max 2 pages), academic diplomas (MSc and PhD, in English), a list of publications (max 1 page), and one relevant peer-reviewed publication. Upload the combined PDF under the cover letter option in the DTU application system. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. All interested candidates—regardless of age, gender, disability, race, religion, or ethnic background—are encouraged to apply. As DTU conducts research in critical technology subject to special rules on security and export control, open-source background checks may be carried out on qualified candidates.

For further information, contact Meilee Ling ([email protected]) or visit the IBIS website (ibis.dtu.dk). Read more about DTU Bioengineering at bioengineering.dtu.dk and about moving to Denmark and working at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark.

Original vacancy