Research Associate in Applied Microbial Biotechnology (CC6877)

The University of Bath are seeking applications for a postdoctoral position in Applied Microbial Biotechnology, working in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry, one of the leading research-intensive departments in the UK.

This position is part of an exciting interdisciplinary collaboration involving partners from Biochemical and Civil Engineering at Bath, Newcastle and Cardiff universities. The overall aim of the project is to understand the links between bacterial metabolism and biomineralisation, taking us closer to the rational design of self-healing building materials. While the work will be firmly embedded in our strong microbiology theme, it will have a clear interface to our project partners, together driving the project towards application.

As an integral member of the Gebhard lab, you will initially be tasked with the generation of detailed metabolic and kinetic data for a number of Bacillus isolates under controlled growth conditions known to lead to biomineralisation. Up-scaling of spore production in selected strains will then allow you to test their ability to heal micro-cracks in small-scale cement blocks (‘self-healing’), using procedures that are well-established in our team. Your results will continuously feed into the design and optimisation of computational models by our project partners, which will in turn guide your own experimental design, eventually moving up to site trials in a water treatment environment. This iterative process of experiment and simulation will lead to a novel design approach to bio-concrete materials optimised for application.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in Microbiology, Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering or a closely related field. Your experience will lie in microbial biotechnology and/or microbial physiology, and you should have a keen interest in developing microorganisms for industrial application. Experience in bioprocess engineering would be of advantage.

This post is offered as a full-time, fixed-term (up to 36 months) basis with an ideal start on or by 02nd September 2019.

The University of Bath and the Department of Biology & Biochemistry, which both hold Athena SWAN Bronze awards, are committed to equality of opportunity. We particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups, including women.

For further information and an informal discussion about the role, please contact Dr Susanne Gebhard on +44 1225 386421 or at s.gebhard@bath.ac.uk. Please make all applications via this page.

Closing Date: 01 Aug 2019
Type: Education & Research