Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Bioprocessing at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

About the job:

The CSIR has a temporary vacancy for Post-Doctoral Fellow in Bioprocess Development Group in the Biomanufacturing Impact Area within the Chemicals Cluster. The incumbent will be responsible for process development, optimization, and scale of bioprocessing related projects. S/he will also support research activities and will work closely with the team and external collaborators to ensure delivery on projects and contribute to the overall KPI’s of group. This position is based in Pretoria.

Key responsibilities:

• Design, plan and execute projects, with a focus on commercial uptake and implementation;
• Contribute to the management of projects to gain experience as a Principal Investigator;
• Disseminate research through reports, technology demonstrators and scientific publications;
• Contribute to the writing of peer reviewed journal publications, of which the successful candidate would be expected to be the lead author for at least one publication per annum;
• Present research findings to both internal external stakeholders, as well as at national and international conferences;
• Supervise and/or co-supervise postgraduate students and interns;
• Contribute to the day-to-day running and maintenance of the research group, its laboratories and production facilities;
• Keep up to date with trends and new developments, approaches and techniques in the field and initiate their introduction and adoption by the group;
• Assist with other biomanufacturing projects currently running in the research group.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• A Doctoral degree in bioprocess engineering, biotechnology, biochemistry, microbiology, chemical engineering or related fields;  
• Experience in fermentation technology, bioprocess development, optimisation and scale up;
• Experience in downstream process development to purify the desired product and analytical techniques;
• Experience in bioprocess simulations, process modelling, and techno-economic evaluation will be advantageous;
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work closely with others in a research group;
• Clear demonstration of problem-solving abilities and independent research are essential;
• A track record of publications;
• All international qualifications require an evaluation report / certificate issued by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). 

Closing date: 21 March 2023