Scientist for assay development

Scientist for assay development in Microbial Screening department
Innovative researcher with a desire to develop high throughput screening assays for microbial applications.

With ambitions to grow organically 8-10%, we constantly need to improve our ways of working. In R&D we are responsible for developing new products and processes for food cultures, animal-, human- and plant health. We are a company based on science and we aim to deliver cutting edge products. The Microbial Screening department within the Discovery organization in R&D is responsible for the culture collection, screening and phenotypic characterization of new strains. 

We aim at delivering high quality results, using robotized liquid handling platforms. We use phenotypic characterization data to select leads for new product development. Therefore, we continuously develop new assays to screen for desired phenotypes.

The job
As a scientist in the Microbial Screening department your main responsibility will be to develop new high throughput screening assays, with focus on Bacillus strain characterization, for use in Plant Health product development. 

Work will include

• Developing new screening assays.
• Running screening campaigns and analyzing data to define best candidates for new product development
• Planning, executing and managing relevant project tasks in your field of expertise  
• Active participation in idea maturation sessions
• Establishing and mediating collaborative efforts in the team, with stakeholders and potential external partners in your field of expertise
• Responsibility for the documentation and communication of data, communicating and discussing results with the team, manager and stakeholders

Your profile
For this position we request a solid background in developing biochemical and microbiological assays. We encourage self-driven candidates that are passionate about developing methods and tools to solve biological questions. 

A PhD in Biochemistry, Microbial Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering or equivalent is mandatory.

In addition, you are/have 

• Experience in the field of assay development for high throughput screening
• Documented scientific excellence in the form of high-quality publication record
• Experience in doing research in multidisciplinary environments 
• Talented, proactive and independent
• Innovative and enthusiastic towards new ideas
• Team oriented
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English

The department 
The Microbial Screening department delivers bacterial strains to the Chr. Hansen value chain by combining modern phenotyping methods with automated high throughput screening. The unit consists of two teams: Assay Automation and Microbial Phenotyping. The Assay Automation team develops high throughput screening methods and uses the assays to define bacterial strains for new product development. As part of the Discovery organization in R&D we bridge academic research with new product development by expanding phenotypic descriptors of the strains in the culture collection. The position is in the Assay Automation team.

We offer
We offer a permanent position in a stimulating, international workplace in a professional organization focused on linking solid scientific research to business opportunities. In addition, we offer a good team with dedicated colleagues and modern research laboratories.

More information and application
If you have any questions for the position, please feel free to contact Gunnar Øregaard, Senior Manager Microbial Screening (e-mail:; phone: +45 5339 0156).

Deadline for applications is June 5th, 2019. 

Read more about working for Chr. Hansen here.

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