Visiting Research Fellow (National Centre for Engineering Biology)

Job Description

We are seeking a talented Visiting Research Fellow to join the National Centre for Engineering Biology, Singapore (NCEB), at the National University of Singapore. NCEB aims to advance engineering biology by developing microbial cells that enable biomanufacturing.

The Visiting Research Fellow (RF) will work closely with the Principal Investigator and research team to develop robust microbial cell platforms for biomanufacturing. The RF will design and implement strain engineering strategies, optimise metabolic pathways and cultivation conditions, and generate high-quality experimental data.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Design, build, and characterise engineered microbial strains for production of target molecules (e.g., enzymes, chemicals, or biomaterials).
2. Develop and optimise genetic constructs and genome engineering workflows (e.g., CRISPR, recombineering, plasmid design, promoter/RBS tuning).
3. Perform metabolic pathway design and optimisation using rational design and/or high-throughput approaches; analyse data to identify bottlenecks and improvement opportunities.
4. Develop and apply analytical assays (e.g., HPLC/GC, LC-MS, plate-based assays) to quantify key metabolites.
5. Document and communicate results through lab records, reports, and presentations; contribute to manuscripts, protocols, and (where applicable) invention disclosures.

Remuneration will be commensurate with the candidate's qualifications and experience. Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to: Ms Suhana Sulaiman, at suhana_s@nus.edu.sg

Formal application: Please submit your application, indicating job reference number and current/expected salary, supported by a detailed CV (including personal particulars, academic and employment history, complete list of publications/oral presentations and full contacts of 3 referees). Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will:

1. Hold a PhD in Synthetic Biology, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
2. Demonstrated experience in microbial strain engineering and molecular biology (e.g., cloning, genome editing, strain construction and verification).
3. Strong experimental design and data analysis skills, with the ability to interpret results and troubleshoot across the build-test-learn cycle.

Highly desirable:

1. Hands-on experience with fermentation/bioreactors and bioprocess development (media optimisation, feeding strategies, scale-down models).
2. Experience with omics/automation tools (e.g., RNA-seq, proteomics, metabolomics, high-throughput screening).