PhD Position: Quantitative impact of yeast cell death on (anaerobic) processes

Do you have a passion for understanding cellular mechanisms and microbial physiology, and translating this to bioprocesses? Are you curious to understand more on how yeast cell death factors impact physiology? This PhD position might be for you!

In this specific project, you will increase our understanding on how yeast cell death factors impact physiology and what evolutionary trade-offs are between cell death and survival at the culture level. One specific, and highly relevant condition that you will investigate is anaerobicity. This knowledge will be used to improve the bioproduction of chemicals, including ethanol as done in Brazilian biorefineries.

Understanding and Postponing Yeast Cell Death (UPsYDe) to improve production is a doctoral network of 13 PhD candidates funded by Horizon Europe: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

UPsYDe consists of seven host institutes (Wageningen Universiteit, Universidade do Minho, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, Austrian Centre for Industrial Biotechnology, Imperial College London, Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca and Chalmers Tekniska Högskola) together with fifteen associated partners, ranging from start-up to large biotechnology companies and renowned research institutes. This consortium aims to understand how yeast cells die under industrial process conditions and to use this knowledge to improve biomanufacturing.

Different yeast species play a vital role in industrial biotechnology for the sustainable production of a wide range of products, for example ethanol as a biofuel or protein ingredients for alternatives to animal-based products. However, also the lifespan of these yeast cells is finite, and their death negatively impacts processes: for example, process duration or product quality. Fundamental research has revealed that yeast cells can die in different ways, i.e., different regulated cell death programs are present and (genetic) factors involved in these processes are being uncovered. However, in the context of industrial processes, regulated cell death has received little attention. Therefore, we will integrate fundamental cell and molecular biology, systems and synthetic biology with bioprocess and metabolic engineering to improve both our understanding of these cell death processes as well as the survival and performance of different yeast species in industrial bioprocesses.

Each of 13 doctoral projects will focus on a different aspect, more detailed information can be found on upsyde.eu, but in strong synergy with the other projects. At Wageningen we are looking for two PhD candidates. Each PhD will receive a strongly interdisciplinary training alongside performing exciting research. This includes secondments at two or more partners in the consortium.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• identify the mechanisms behind anaerobic yeast cell death;
• quantify the impact of yeast cell death factors on yeast physiology;
• detect evolutionary trade-offs between cell death and survival at the culture level;
• improve prolonged (anaerobic) bioproduction by S. cerevisiae;
• work together with the other 12 DCs to integrate and translate knowledge to other yeast species.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the chair Bioprocess Engineering, and is part of the Microbial Biotechnology team, which is led by Prof. Dr. Ruud Weusthuis and Dr. Mark Bisschops. You will be supervised by Dr. Mark Bisschops. Within the project, you will collaborate with the other consortium members of UPsYDE and especially the Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology (SSB) at Wageningen University, the laboratories of Dr. Paula Ludovico at UMinho (Braga, Portugal) and of Prof. Andreas Gombert at Unicamp (Campinas, Brazil).

You have a passion for understanding cellular mechanisms and microbial physiology and translating this bioprocesses, and have high standards for working accurately. You have the flexibility to work in a team within a well-equipped laboratory and communicate results to experts of different, but related fields.

You also possess:

• a successfully completed MSc degree in biotechnology or related field;
• the ability to work independently in the lab;
• a strong desire and ability to quickly master new (laboratory) techniques to effectively tackle complex, multidisciplinary scientific queries;
• experience with microbial cultures, molecular biology and, ideally, bioreactor cultivations;
• experience with fluorescence microscopy, omics analyses and yeast are a pre.

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here.

Because this concerns a Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Action funded position, additional elegibility criteria apply:

• not be in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment;
• comply with the mobility rule: no residence or main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months before their recruitment date), this includes the country of the institution for which the main activity was performed.

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment. A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• Partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.
The gross salary for the first year is € 3.059,- per month rising to € 3.881,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment.

The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. We can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example helping your partner to find a job, housing, or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.