Postdoctoral Researcher in Synthetic Biology & Lab Automation

Are you passionate about revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry through cutting-edge synthetic biology and artificial intelligence? If you’re eager to be at the forefront of developing a new class of drug candidates, we want you on our team!

Join the ETH Zürich Bioprocess Laboratory (BPL), led by Prof. Sven Panke: We are an international, interdisciplinary group specializing in microfluidics, genetic and enzyme engineering, synthetic biology, and bioprocesses. Our lab is located at the Basel campus of ETH Zurich, part of the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D‐BSSE).

This position is part of the Innosuisse-funded project “AIMMS - Artificial Intelligence for Modular Molecule Scaffolds,” a collaborative effort with the ETH Spin-Off Myria Biosciences.

In this role, you’ll be working on the cutting edge of science, at which we combine artificial intelligence with synthetic biology to create novel, nature-inspired molecules as potential drug candidates. Your contributions will be key to design, producing and testing millions of these molecules to address unmet medical needs.

• Implement and execute high-throughput engineering of novel biosynthetic gene clusters
• Assemble large DNA libraries to produce “synthetic natural products”
• Develop, execute and optimize lab-automation methods for genetic engineering of microbes
• Screen for bioactivity to identify promising candidate molecules
• Produce candidate molecules in various microbial hosts
• Purify and analyze these molecules using HPLC-MS
• Supervise master students working on related topic
• Collaborate with both internal and external project members

• PhD in microbiology, synthetic biology, biotechnology, or a related field
• Extensive experience in DNA library generation (e.g., Golden Gate assembly)
• Proficiency in microbial production and analysis of natural products (fermentation, HPLC-MS)
• Knowledge of non-ribosomal peptides and/or laboratory automation is advantageous
• Fluent in English (written and spoken)
• Eager to grow in a collaborative, goal-oriented, and interdisciplinary environment

With the social and leadership competencies, ETH Zurich has developed a common understanding for a shared work culture. Kindly try to incorporate these six competencies into your recruitment.

You will be at the intersection of world-class science at ETH Zürich and the dynamic, inspiring environment of a young startup. At BPL, we offer a supportive team atmosphere and comprehen-sive training in state-of-the-art enzyme engineering. You’ll have access to the cutting-edge facilities of ETH Zürich and the vibrant life of D-BSSE in the heart of Europe’s life sciences capital.

D-BSSE is committed to fostering an equal and diverse work environment. As an employee of ETH, you will enjoy all the benefits associated with the institution.

The position is set to begin as soon as possible.