Are you ready to engineer metabolic pathways to develop the next generation of animal cell lines for cost-effective, scalable, delicious cruelty-free meat?! ‘Cultivated meat’, the production of genuine meat products from in vitro culture of animal cells, is an emerging biotechnology within the field of cellular agriculture with the potential to revolutionise food production from both an environmental and ethical perspective. Unfortunately, mammalian cells in their unmodified state have severe limitations with respect to in vitro culture, presenting major challenges for the scalability and cost-effectiveness of cultivated meat bioprocesses. These include slow proliferation, expensive medium requirements and suboptimal metabolic efficiency.

The Role

We are hiring for a PhD student to join the Flack group for a fully-funded project of 4 years. You will develop tools and methods for metabolic engineering of bovine satellite cell lines, introducing new and improved metabolic phenotypes related to carbon-substrate utilization efficiency and the de novo synthesis of essential, expensive medium components. You will have the freedom to direct your own research projects and become acquainted with new techniques and approaches, while also supervising MSc and BSc students in the group.

Requirements

• MSc degree in a relevant field, such as cell biology, biotechnology, or a related biological sciences field (essential).
• Prior lab experience in molecular biology, cloning, and genetic manipulation (essential).
• Experience with gene editing and/or cell engineering (e.g. CRISPR/Cas or related techniques - highly desirable).
• Experience with animal cell culture (desirable but not required).
• A strong interest in metabolism and cellular agriculture/cultivated meat is essential, although specific prior experience in these areas is not expected or required.
• Strong collaboration, communication, and writing skills.

What We Offer

• A 4-year employment period with a salary ranging from €3059 to €3881 gross per month, increasing from the first year to the fourth year based on a full-time contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.
• Enrollment in the TU Delft Graduate School, providing an inspiring research environment with excellent supervision.
• A customizable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and flexible work schedules.
• Assistance with relocation to the Netherlands through the Coming to Delft Service, including support for accompanying partners.

For more information, please refer to the Flack Group website or get in touch. We look forward to your application!