Professor in Biobased Technologies and Sustainability

DTU Bioengineering - Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, invites applications for a position as Professor in Biobased Technologies and Sustainability. This position will be placed in the Section of Synthetic Biology. The section has a total staff of approx. 50, of which 8 are faculty. The section applies engineering strategies to cell factories, and spans research within gene and genome editing, synthetic biology, metabolic engineering across cell factories, in particular yeast, filamentous fungi, plant cells and bacterial systems. The research also includes expertise in bacterial fermentation physiology and performance as well as AI assisted high throughput and automation for development of production strains. With the professorship in Biobased Technologies and Sustainability we want to expand our research in cell factory engineering and fermentation technologies to promote a biobased economy and to support the UN Sustainable Development goals.

For this position, the department particularly welcomes expertise in the areas of biomass conversion and valorisation, green process technologies, fermentation, process optimization, cell factory engineering, industrial biotechnology, and downstream processing. Excellent candidates with interdisciplinary knowledge in the above-mentioned fields are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities and tasks
The professor is expected to lead an internationally competitive research group within the area of Life Sciences to promote sustainability with a focus on the development of efficient and sustainable process technologies able to support the transition towards an economy less dependent on fossil resources.

The research activities of the professor are expected to link to other relevant engineering areas in the department/section and the new professor is expected to engage in collaborative projects with groups at the department, other relevant DTU departments (e.g. DTU Food, DTU Environment, DTU Biosustain and DTU AQUA), and relevant leading national and international research groups. The Professor is in addition, expected to actively seek collaboration with relevant national and international biotech and pharma companies.

The professor is expected to actively contribute to teaching at bachelor, master and PhD level within the areas of biotechnology and biomedicine. In collaboration with other department faculty members, the professor is also expected to further mature our engineering educations, by developing and supporting new pedagogical teaching elements and by integration of new research activities into the curriculum of the existing and planned courses. For international candidates, DTU provides Danish language courses since the successful candidate is expected to teach in Danish within 2-3 years.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Research leadership in order to strengthen and develop the profile and international visibility of the department in Biobased Technologies and Sustainability
• Guidance and supervision of early career researchers
• External collaboration with academia and industry
• Teaching and supervision at under graduate and graduate level
• Attracting external funding for new projects
• Attract funding to further strengthen the research field
• Create the link between cell factory engineering and biobased sustainability solutions.

Qualifications
The candidate must have the following qualifications:

• Proven ability to work in the interdisciplinary areas related to this position
• High level of original scientific production (peer reviewed manuscripts, book/chapters and patents) at international level, which has contributed to further develop the areas of Biobased Technology and Sustainability
• Experience in management of national and international research projects
• Experience with the supervision and guidance of PhD and MSc students
• Experience of teaching
• Proven track record in attracting funding for research
• Proven track record in collaboration with industry
• Ability to disseminate the research through courses and (invited) lectures in conferences

Assessment
In the assessment of the candidates, consideration will be given to:

• Documented experience and quality of teaching and curriculum development
• Research impact and experience, funding track record and research vision
• Societal impact
• Documented innovation activities, including commercialization and collaboration with industry
• International impact and experience
• Leadership and collaboration
• Communication skills

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and terms of employment
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union.

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Head of Department Bjarke Bak Christensen, tel.: +45 30 66 42 33, email: bbch@dtu.dk

You can read more about DTU Bioengineering at www.bioengineering.dtu.dk

Application procedure
Please submit your online application no later than 20 October 2020 (23:59 local time).

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply online", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• Application (cover letter) addressed to the President
• CV
• A vision for future research
• Teaching and research statement, with a focus on the “Assessment” bullet points listed above
• Documentation of previous teaching and research, as related to the “Assessment” bullet points listed above
• List of publications indicating scientific highlights
• H-index, and ORCID (see e.g. http://orcid.org/)
• Diploma (MSc/PhD)

Applications and enclosures received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

The Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (DTU Bioengineering) is an international leader in the areas of biotechnology and biomedicine. Our engineering approach to all aspects of biotechnology and biomedicine positions us as a valuable player with unique competences in a growing bio-based economy and with health systems transforming towards personalized medicine. We have a clear focus on the needs in the life science industry and point towards innovation, new businesses and scientific services for the benefit of society. The department has extensive collaborations with national and international research units and industry. DTU Bioengineering has approx. 210 employees, of which 2/3 are scientific staff. The department is located at DTU Lyngby Campus.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear vision to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That vision lives on today. DTU has 12,000 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. Our main campus is in Kgs. Lyngby north of Copenhagen and we have campuses in Roskilde and Ballerup and in Sisimiut in Greenland.

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