R&D Scientist – Fermentation (F/M)

The Center of Excellence for Fermentation Process Design (FPD) is based at the recently inaugurated Lesaffre International Campus, the “Forum”, a state-of-the-art facility covering 23000m² and bringing together over 700 employees from Lesaffre’s Corporate R&D organization and the various business units of the company.

Within the FPD team, the R&D Scientist defines, executes and reports workplans involving strain performance testing and/or fermentation process optimization. Collaborating with other experts in multi-disciplinary project teams, you will have a key role in bringing new or improved fermentation-based products to market for all the businesses of Lesaffre Group.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Definition of experimental plans and their execution, either individually or leading technicians.
• Data processing, critical analysis of results and reporting to various stakeholders.
• Tech transfer to pilot-scale and support to factory trials.
• Development of new process technologies (instrumentation, algorithms, scale-down models, etc) to meet novel or emerging business needs.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of practices and adoption of new techniques.
• Contribute to good maintenance of equipment and facilities as well as training of newcomers.
• Contribute to identification and development of IP opportunities.

Qualifications

• Passionate for working at the interface between Biology, Chemistry and Engineering and motivated to see your research in the lab turning into industrial processes and products.
• MSc in Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology or equivalent, having excelled at microbiology and process technology.
• 3 years industrial experience or PhD in relevant field, preferably with exposure to more than one market, product type, microorganism, scale and/or process regime; experience with non-standard processes (gas fermentations, food fermentation, solid-state, in-situ extraction, cell immobilization, uncommon feedstocks) is a plus.
• Solid understanding of physiology and fermentation technology principles, incl. growth kinetics, balances, mass transfer and scale-specific considerations.
• Good inter-personal skills; demonstrated ability to work alongsidetechnicians/operators and within multi-disciplinary projects.
• Good critical thinking skills, acting with rigor and integrity; demonstrated ability to translate research questions into intelligent and pragmatic experimental plans.
• Good computational skills and familiarity with DoE, statistics, data management and visualization tools; affinity for programming, bioinformatics, CFD or techno-economic modelling is a plus.
• Good communication skills, comfortable delivering results to both experts and non-experts; multinational work/life experience is a plus.

Additional Information

What can Lesaffre International corporate R&D offer you:

• We are a successful family-owned company with long-standing history where people truly matter.
• We promote a sense of fulfilment with a genuine mission: nourish and protect the planet.
• We offer attractive package (including relocation support for foreigners) and career plan.
• You will develop your expertise in new science and technology environment and develop your business acument.
• A good working atmosphere, in a brand-new Campus (With a Gym, a Restaurant, …) fostering synergies and teamwork.

All our positions are opened topersons with disabilities.