Background

Cellular Agriculture (CA) is a new concept in biotechnology that aims to produce (animal) protein through bioprocessing. This includes the production of muscle cells and tissue from animal stems cells rather than from whole animals, as well as the use of precision fermentation for microbial production of (animal) protein, such as dairy alternatives. However, development of sustainable, cost-effective processes for cellular agriculture at the huge scale required to meet a substantial fraction of anticipated global meat demands raises interesting scientific and technological challenges. To address these challenges, The Cellular Agriculture Netherlands Foundation (CAN a consortium of public and private partners in the field) will boost the Dutch cellular agriculture ecosystems along the workflows Education, Research, Scale up, and Public outreach. This initiative is supported by a 60 million euro impulse from the National Growth Fund program. Within this scope, TU Delft will focus on the scientific and technological challenges associated with large-scale production of cultivated meat and precision fermentation.

PhD Research projects

To start this new and exciting research program at TU Delft, we seek to hire 4 PhD candidates to contribute to the development of CA, focusing on process engineering aspects of large-scale cell cultivation and precision fermentation. The projects entail a combination of fermentation technology to grow and differentiate (stem) cells under controlled conditions, together with mammalian cell biology for proper understanding, steering and control of the stem cell fate during cultivation. To successfully deploy cultivated meat at large scale, at minimum the following aspects need to be addressed: (1) Develop or adapt mammalian cells to grow on alternative, low-cost nutrients, e.g. nitrogen sources and growth factors. (2) Cell line optimization for high-cell density cultivations. (3) Design of novel processes for intensified, low cost cell production under appropriate hygienic conditions, including testing of concepts at larger representative scale (up to m3 scale). This would contribute to the systematic development of bioreactors and large scale aseptic CA processes and to the development of integral process concepts of CA products based on mammalian cell culture and precision fermentation. In addition, for successful and responsible deployment of CA technologies, consideration of the environmental impact of CA, and the societal transition towards CA foods are essential. With this, the following 4 projects are defined:

• PhD 1: Bioreactor design.
• PhD 2: Platform process design cultivated meat & precision fermentation.
• PhD 3: Process development for novel raw materials with a microbial cell factory.
• PhD 4: Sustainable production processes for a socially responsible transition to CA.

Research groups

The positions will be embedded in the Bioprocess Engineering section at the Department of Biotechnology within the following research groups: Cees Haringa (Model-Driven Process Development; PhD 1), Marcel Ottens (Bioprocess Engineering; PhD 2), Marieke Klijn (Data-driven Bioprocess Development; PhD 3), and with John Posada and Lotte Asveld of the Biotechnology and Society section with expertise on socioeconomic impact analysis of biotechnological processes (PhD 4). The Bioprocess Engineering section has mammalian cell culture, advanced bioprocess monitoring, fermentation and process design expertise present (USP & DSP). The research is part of the national NGF CA program.

Preferred start date: March 2024

* Indicate clearly for which position you apply.

The ideal candidates are an ambitious, proactive, reflective, and result-driven researchers. We are looking for the following requirements:

- A MSc degree in a field relevant to the subject, such as biochemical engineering, (bio)process simulations, metabolic network simulations, or socio-economic impact studies.

- For PhD 1: Programming and/or process modeling experience is considered essential. Prior experience with computational fluid dynamics or animal cell cultivation is considered a plus.

- For PhD 3: Recent experience with microbial cell line optimization (metabolic engineering, adaptive laboratory evolution, and/or directed evolution) is considered essential. Recent microbial upstream processing experience is considered a plus. Recent data analytical and programming experience is considered a plus.

- For PhD 2 & 4: Programming and/or process modeling experience is considered essential.

- Experience with biopharma & food related topics is considered a plus.

- Fluent in English (written and spoken); good communication/reporting skills, and team working capacity.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Fixed-term contract: 4.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2770 per month in the first year to € 3539 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. 

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Applied Sciences

With more than 1,100 employees, including 150 pioneering principal investigators, as well as a population of about 3,600 passionate students, the Faculty of Applied Sciences is an inspiring scientific ecosystem. Focusing on key enabling technologies, such as quantum- and nanotechnology, photonics, biotechnology, synthetic biology and materials for energy storage and conversion, our faculty aims to provide solutions to important problems of the 21st century. To that end, we educate innovative students in broad Bachelor's and specialist Master's programmes with a strong research component. Our scientists conduct ground-breaking fundamental and applied research in the fields of Life and Health Science & Technology, Nanoscience, Chemical Engineering, Radiation Science & Technology, and Engineering Physics. We are also training the next generation of high school teachers.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

Department of Biotechnology

Innovation is crucial to fulfil the potential of industrial biotechnology for sustainable production of fuels, chemicals, materials, food and feed. Similarly, scientific and technological advances in environmental biotechnology are needed to enable novel approaches to water purification, and ‘waste-to-product’ processes thus contributing to a circular economy. Increased fundamental knowledge encompassing enzymes, microorganisms and processes are essential for progress in this field. The Department of Biotechnology covers this research area and, based on new insights, selects, designs and tests new biobased catalysts, micro-organisms, and processes.

Click here for more information about the Department: Biotechnology (tudelft.nl)