Fermentation Scientist/Engineer

Bioprocess Optimization for Live Microbial Products

Corteva Agriscience is seeking a skilled Fermentation Scientist/Engineer to join the Bioprocess Optimization team at the Alicante R&D Center. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, developing, and optimizing solid-state fermentation processes for microorganisms to achieve high spore concentrations and optimized metabolite concentrations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and develop solid-state fermentation processes for microorganisms to achieve high spore concentrations and optimized metabolite concentrations.
• Develop and implement downstream processes to recover and concentrate high-quality, viable spores for a variety of microorganisms.
• Coordinate and execute experiments in collaboration with a small team of technicians.
• Collaborate with researchers from other technical disciplines and laboratories to achieve overall project goals.
• Oversee production of active materials for lab and field testing.
• Develop project plans in collaboration with team members, including obtaining supplies, setting up and managing experiments, evaluating results, and proposing possible alternative paths to achieve project objectives.
• Document, summarize, and communicate results to diverse audiences, including colleagues and leaders within Corteva.
• Draft and update protocols and training of technicians to ensure consistent scientific methods, data quality, and safe laboratory practices.

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. (or M.Sc. plus suitable experience) in Bioprocess Engineering, Applied Microbiology, or related scientific field.
• Experience with microbial fermentation (lab scale and/or pilot scale) and bioprocess development.
• Expertise in the engineering principles related to fermentation and bioprocessing.
• Broad experience in the cultivation and physiological characterization of diverse microbes.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal), interpersonal, and technical writing skills.
• Experience working in a highly collaborative, results-oriented team.
• Strong organization and project planning skills with a history of delivering results on a timeline.
• Strong initiative and motivated to learn and improve.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in the scale-up of fermentation and bioprocesses from lab scale to pilot or manufacturing scales.
• Experience in developing and producing live microbial biologicals.
• Experience with solid-state fermentation.
• Experience with physiology and growth kinetics of filamentous fungi.

Location: San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain

Language: English