PhD scholarship in Rational secretory pathway engineering for improved CHO cell productivity

The Novo Nordisk Foundation for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain) at the Technical University of Denmark is seeking two highly motivated PhD candidates with an interest in engineering Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells to improve the production of therapeutic proteins.

The positions will be within the newly established National Biologics Facility (NBF) at DTU - a continuation of an 8-year long CHO program at DTU Biosustain. The PhD positions will commence in Q1 2021 under supervision by Dr Lise Grav and CSO Prof Lars Keld Nielsen.

The research in the NBF aims to address core challenges in therapeutic protein production and manufacturing. Therapeutic proteins are dominant molecules in the pharmaceutical industry and the majority is being produced in CHO cell. Rational engineering of the CHO production host is a crucial part of accelerating the development and reach of new therapeutic protein products.

Rational secretory pathway engineering
You will work as part of an interdisciplinary team focusing on enhancing the cellular capacity and resources of the secretory pathway for therapeutic protein production. The emphasis will be on improving the recombinant production of especially difficult-to-produce biotherapeutics, through combinatorial genetic engineering. You will learn about the secretory pathway in native host tissues using Biotinylation by Antibody Recognition (BAR) method, systems biology and data science analytics. The knowledge gained will be used to guide your engineering efforts towards enhancing the secretory capacity of CHO cells.

The role of the candidates will primarily be to perform experiments in the laboratory, data analysis, and scientific publication, as well as to take 30 ECTS points of relevant PhD courses as required in Danish PhD programs. All candidates are expected to have a secondment for 3-6 months in another research group.

Two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) in bioengineering or similar discipline
Candidates should have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or equivalent in a relevant life sciences discipline, have excellent communication and problem-solving skills, and have experience in mammalian cell line engineering and molecular/synthetic biology. In our research groups, we highly value collaboration, and it will be expected that the candidate can demonstrate that he/she has a track record for successfully collaborating with his/her peers.

The ideal candidates have experience and interest in one or more of the following areas (not mandatory):

• Recombinant protein production
• Biopharmaceutical research and development
• Cloning of expression plasmids for mammalian cells
• CHO cell cultivation
• Generation of stable CHO cell clones (using CRISPR-mediated or recombinase-mediated genome engineering)
• Protein titer assays (plate readers, octet or ELISA) and western blotting
• Biotinylation by Antibody Recognition (BAR)
• Basic programming skills

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see the DTU PhD Guide.

Further information
If you would like additional information about the position, please contact Dr Lise Marie Grav at lgrav@biosustain.dtu.dk or Professor Lars Keld Nielsen at lars.nielsen@uq.edu.au. You can read more about DTU Biosustain at www.biosustain.dtu.dk.

Salary and terms of employment
The period of employment is three years. 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.

Application procedure
Please submit your online application no later than 18 December 2020 (Danish time).

Apply at www.career.dtu.dk

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:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma
• Excel sheet with translation of grades to the Danish grading system (see guidelines and Excel spreadsheet here)

Candidates may apply prior to ob­tai­ning their master's degree but cannot begin before having received it.

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

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

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability (DTU Biosustain)

Recent progress in our ability to read and write genomic code, combined with advances in automation, analytics and data science, has fundamentally changed the scope and ambition of harnessing the potential of biological systems. Big data approaches and analysis of biological systems are key research instruments at the Center. DTU Biosustain utilizes these advances for microbial cell factory design to foster sustainable lifestyles in relation to three application areas: Sustainable Chemicals, Natural Products, and Microbial Foods. Learn more at biosustain.dtu.dk.

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.