Junior researcher - Universiteit Gent - Gand

Project “Electromicrobiology for human health”

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 8,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programs grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

ABOUT CMET

The Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET); (www.CMET.UGent.be) is part of the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University, a top 100 university in most rankings, as well as part of CAPTURE (www.capture-resources.be ). CMET has over 40 years of experience in the study of applied microbial processes and microbial ecology in the contexts of waste(water) treatment, bioremediation, bioproduction, bioelectrochemistry and resource recovery. In the past decade, a team on electromicrobiology has been established with currently 4 staff employed on this theme. CMET is well recognized worldwide in its field and links excellent basic science with application, leading to a high level of peer reviewed outputs besides commercial outcomes including 7 spin-off companies over time. Reactor and process developments go from milliliter scale to full scale industrial.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Microorganisms can exchange electrons with their environment and thereby link their metabolism with electron donors/acceptors outside the cell, including with other microorganisms. This flow of electrons has typically been studied in natural and engineered environments, and in recent years it has become evident that it may also play a role in the human microbiome. The field of study is now called electromicrobiology, and today our knowledge on how it affects human health is very limited. In part this is due to the complexity and low-throughput of those experiments associating microbiology and electrochemistry. In a joint development between UGent and KULeuven, we created a high throughput, bioelectrochemical screening approach that accelerates this research significantly. In the coming project, we will calibrate this approach using diverse microorganisms derived from the human microbiome and develop the supporting platform to a level that it can be used by R&D teams globally while also studying hypotheses on the microbiome. The project thus involves culturing in anaerobic and aerobic conditions these organisms and characterizing them for their potential redox processes.

We are looking for a highly motivated researcher with an interest and affinity primarily for microbiology and optionally bioelectrochemistry. This is not a common combination hence an interest to make crossovers into other areas is an essential personal trait.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Background and experience

• Junior researcher: We are searching for a motivated researcher, particularly with background in cultivation and development of bioprocesses with single microbial cultures.
• Background: Bio-engineer, Microbiologist, Biotechnologist, Chemical engineer with biological focus.

Scientific knowledge and skills

• Knowledge and hands-on experience in biotechnology or biological sciences
• Background in both aerobic and anaerobic microbial culturing
• Experience in DNA extraction, PCR, flow cytometry and optic microscopy
• Knowledge about electron transfer processes or electrochemistry is considered a plus
• Basic knowledge of MATLAB is considered a plus
• Ability to rigorously design and perform experiments in a result-oriented and thorough manner
• Ability to perform in-depth and rigorous data analysis
• Ability to write effectively reports and good presentations
• Potential to contribute to research program development and management

Personal knowledge and skills

• A strong interest in inter/multi-disciplinary applied sciences.
• Be passionate about science, self-motivated, naturally take ownership of assignments, and proactively propose solutions to arising obstacles.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to work effectively with team members from different backgrounds and with different tasks
• Excellent skills for time, budget and project management and the ability to meet objectives within strictly set deadlines
• Good oral and written communication skills in English are strictly required (C1 level)
• Ability to report the research outcomes to the project advisors and to communicate in a non-scientific way
• Demonstrated ability to work efficiently and with minimum supervision
• Outcome-focused, hands-on mentality
• Willingness to travel internationally for project meetings and conferences

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer you a full time contract of 12 months.
• Your contract will start on 15/10/2022 at the earliest, or as soon as possible afterwards.
• Your remuneration will be determined by relevant experience. Click here for more information about our salary scales.
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 35 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, a bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits (in Dutch).

INTERESTED?

Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline. We do not accept late applications or applications that are not submitted through the online system.

Your application must include the following documents:

• In the field ‘CV’: your CV and an overview of your study results (merged into one pdf file)
• In the field ‘Cover letter’: your application letter in pdf format
• In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.

Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.

As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about this vacancy, please contact us at [email protected] with in email header “PACTIOSTAT”. Important: do NOT send your application by email, but apply online.

Do you have a question regarding the online application process? Please read our FAQ.