Senior Research Assistant in Biosciences
Join to apply for the Senior Research Assistant in Biosciences role at Northumbria University.
About The Role
Joining a dynamic, multi-disciplinary team, you will support the project Investigators to drive forward research activities for the Living Manufacture: An Engineered Living Materials based Fabrication Platform project. We're in search of a dedicated, motivated, and innovative researcher to join the Living Construction research group in Northumbria University for this EPSRC-funded project. The primary objective of this project is to harness the unique capabilities of synthetic biology and microbial biotechnology to exert genetic control over bacterial cellulose production, aiming for modifications, enhancements, and customization through a streamlined process.
This is a fixed term role for a duration of 20 months.
About The Project
Engineered Living Materials (ELMs) is an emerging research area where synthetic biology is used to make materials that benefit from living-cell technologies. Through cell reprogramming of organisms like E. coli, cellulose-producing bacteria, and protein-secreting yeasts, we have demonstrated the feasibility of efficiently growing novel materials with advanced functionalities.
Drawing on our expertise in synthetic biology and bacterial cellulose ELMs, our vision is to create a biofabrication system that self-assembles cellulose-based composite materials under genetic control and a robotic fabrication system.
A fermenter filled with cellulose-producing bacteria is fed and incubated to grow thick cellulose pellicles. As the pellicles grow, the fermenter is fed with engineered modifying bacteria programmed to respond to environmental inputs (including light and chemical triggers) by producing molecules that modify the cellulose properties. A robotic system alters the chemical and light inputs to modify the material as it grows in three dimensions, creating functionally graded complex composite materials.
Such a system may have applications across domains from apparel to lab-grown meat and would enable the production of a new generation of ELMs with living or life-like properties. Cellulose is biodegradable and can be converted back into glucose for a new fabrication process to begin.
The project also aims to introduce a new era of "Living Manufacture" in which living cells produce materials and structures at scale, potentially replacing environmentally costly traditional manufacturing processes.
About The Team
This research project will be delivered within the Living Construction research group in Northumbria University and will work closely with the synthetic biology research group led by Prof Tom Ellis at Imperial College London and the engineered biotechnology group led by Prof Harrison Steel at Oxford University. The Living Construction group is part of the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE) and focuses on producing functional materials through biological fabrication processes. A key area is the exploration of engineered living materials for applications in construction, fashion, and biomedicine.
The RAs will be based in the HBBE labs in the Department of Applied Sciences at Northumbria University.
About You
Applicants should hold a PhD (or equivalent) in synthetic biology, biomaterials, biofabrication, microbiology or biodesign. Familiarity with material-producing non-model microbes, co-culturing methods and material characterization is desirable. You should be able to work independently and as part of a team, and possess multitasking abilities. Excellent communication (written and oral) and organisational skills are essential, and evidence in initiating and delivering scientific publications is required.
Further information about the requirements of the role is available in the person specification.
If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Prof Meng Zhang (meng.zhang@northumbria.ac.uk).
To apply for this vacancy please click 'Apply Now'. Your application should include a covering letter and a CV.
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Seniority level
* Mid-Senior level
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* Full-time
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