FaBA Postdoctoral Research Fellows, Synthetic Biology & Precision Fermentation
Join The University of Queensland as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Australian Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) program, based at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN).
This two-year, fixed-term, full-time position offers a competitive salary range of $98,******–$109,****** plus 17% superannuation (Academic Level A) and opens opportunities to work with cutting-edge yeast platforms for sustainable food ingredient production.
Program Overview
The FaBA initiative accelerates growth in Australia's food and beverage sector through industry-research partnerships, advanced manufacturing, and training.
The FaBA-Noumi industry project at AIBN seeks two Postdoctoral Fellows: one in Strain Engineering & Synthetic Biology and one in Bioprocess Development & Fermentation.
Position 1: Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Strain Engineering & Synthetic Biology
Focus on engineering yeast strains (primarily Komagataella phaffii/Pichia pastoris) using CRISPR/Cas9, modular cloning and metabolic engineering strategies.
Design, construct and optimise metabolic pathways for improved productivity and robustness.
Collaborate with automation and systems biology specialists for high-throughput strain optimisation.
Validate engineered strains through molecular, biochemical and omics analyses.
Mentor students and contribute to high-impact publications.
Deliver experimental results or reports to our industrial partner regularly.
Position 2: Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Bioprocess Development & Fermentation
Have a basic understanding of yeast strain engineering.
Conduct fermentation experiments at different scales (plate to flask to lab bioreactors).
Optimise cultivation parameters (media composition, induction, process controls).
Collaborate with strain engineering and omics teams to link genotype-phenotype-process outcomes.
Apply design of experiments (DoE) and statistical modelling for process optimisation.
Generate data to support regulatory and translational pathways.
Deliver experimental results or reports to our industrial partner regularly.
Ensure occupational health and safety standards, including onboarding, supervision, equipment training and incident reporting.
Supervise higher-degree-by-research students and support junior research staff; provide performance feedback and training.
Develop partnerships and engage in university service roles.
Qualifications (Position 1)
Completion or near completion of a PhD in Synthetic Biology, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering or related discipline.
Demonstrated expertise in microbial strain engineering.
Experience with cloning, genome editing and pathway optimisation.
Familiarity with design-build-test-learn workflows.
Strong collaborative and problem-solving skills.
Qualifications (Position 2)
Completion or near completion of a PhD in Bioprocess Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Microbiology or related discipline.
Hands-on experience with bioreactor fermentation.
Experience using electronic lab books.
Strong understanding of bioprocess scale-up and process control.
Familiarity with analytical tools for monitoring cell growth and product formation.
Experience working collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams.
Desirable for Both
Evidence of publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations.
Knowledge in bioprocess development and fermentation strategies.
Evidence of contributions towards successfully obtaining external research funding.
Application Details
The successful candidate may be required to complete pre-employment checks, including right to work in Australia, criminal check, education check, etc.
Relocating from interstate or overseas?
We may support obtaining employer-sponsored work rights and a relocation support package.
Questions?
Contact Dr Huadong Peng () or Dr Yosephine Gumulya ().
For application inquiries, contact the Talent Acquisition team at with the job reference number (R-*****).
We welcome applications from all individuals and are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process.
To be considered, please nominate which position you are applying for and upload Resume, Cover Letter and Responses to the 'About You' section.
Applications close 2 December at ***** pm AEST (R-*****).
Interviews are tentatively scheduled for early December.
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