Job Description

Join our team as a computational postdoctoral researcher and help design the next generation of mammalian cell lines for biotherapeutic production. While the biopharma industry relies heavily on mammalian cells to produce complex medicines, they remain metabolically inefficient, necessitating costly, highly complex nutrient feeds. Our project aims to break this dependency by mapping and restoring lost metabolic capabilities directly within these production cell lines. By driving the in silico pathway design and systems-level data analysis, you will guide our experimental engineering to fundamentally simplify biomanufacturing, slash production costs, and enhance the global accessibility of life-saving biotherapeutics.

Responsibilities and qualifications

The postdoctoral researcher will lead the computational efforts to design and analyze the rewiring of mammalian cell metabolism. Your core responsibilities will include:

• Pathway design and metabolic modeling: Utilize genome-scale metabolic models to design and simulate essential amino acid biosynthetic pathways in silico You will integrate and analyze experimental data (e.g., growth, transcriptomic, and metabolomic) from engineered lines through the lens of these models to iteratively identify and refine engineering targets.
• Multiomic based target discovery: Perform holistic bioinformatics analyses on complex, multi-omics datasets to uncover novel metabolic bottlenecks and identify subsequent targets for cell line engineering beyond model-driven predictions.
• Protein-metabolite interaction modeling: Apply computational and structural approaches to predict and identify potentially inhibitory interactions between newly introduced pathway intermediates and endogenous mammalian proteins.
• Scientific Communication: Lead the preparation of manuscripts for high-impact, peer-reviewed journals and present your findings at international conferences.
• Mentorship: Provide guidance and technical mentorship to PhD, MSc, and BSc students and trainees in the group.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience working with mammalian genome-scale metabolic models and constraint-based modeling frameworks (e.g., COBRApy).
• Strong proficiency in analysis of multiomic datasets to extract actionable biological insights.
• Experience with structural bioinformatics, molecular docking, or cheminformatics approaches to predict and model protein-ligand/protein-metabolite interactions.
• High proficiency in standard programming languages used in bioinformatics (e.g., Python, R) and familiarity with version control (e.g., Git).
• A strong history of scientific output, demonstrated by first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, with the ability to articulate complex concepts to interdisciplinary audiences, especially experimental scientists.
• Direct experience with mentoring trainees at the BSc, MSc, and PhD level in mammalian cell culture and genetic engineering techniques.

Research indicates that men are willing to apply for jobs when they meet just 60% of the criteria, while women and people from other marginalized groups will only apply if they feel they are a perfect fit. If you think the research we do is interesting and believe you have what it takes to be successful in this role please apply, even if you don’t check all the boxes. We’d appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

As a formal qualification, you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent).

We offer

DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and terms of employment

The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. In addition, supplements can be negotiated in accordance with DTU’s salary structure for scientific staff: www.inside.dtu.dk/en/human-resources/during-employment/salary/salary-structures

The period of employment is 3 years with a target starting date of 1 January 2027.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here

Further information

Further information may be obtained from Hooman Hefzi, Associate Professor, email.: hoohef@dtu.dk

You can read more about DTU Bioengineering at www.bioengineering.dtu.dk

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark

Application procedure

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 11 September 2026 (23:59 Danish time) Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file The file must include:

• Application (cover letter)
• CV (including a link to your GitHub repository to highlight relevant coding experience, if applicable)
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD – in English)
• List of publications

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

The Advanced Mammalian Cell Engineering Group in the Section for Medical Biotechnology at DTU Bioengineeringaims to engineer next-generation cell lines for use in biotherapeutic production and cultivated meat. We use a mix of computational and experimental approaches in our work.

The Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (DTU Bioengineering) is an international leader in the areas of biotechnology and biomedicine. Our engineering approach to all aspects of biotechnology and biomedicine positions us as a valuable player with unique competences in a growing bio-based economy and with health systems transforming towards personalized medicine. We have a clear focus on the needs in the life science- and biotech industries and point towards innovation, new businesses, and scientific services for the benefit of society. The department has extensive collaborations with national and international research units and industry. DTU Bioengineering has approx. 400 employees, of which 2/3 are scientific staff. The department is located at DTU Lyngby Campus.

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829
DTU is one of Europe's leading elite technical universities. Through research and education at an international top level, we create solutions to the major societal challenges of our time and help secure Europe's global leadership in sustainable technological development. Since Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU almost 200 years ago, our mission has remained the same: We develop and create value through the natural and technical sciences for the benefit of society. DTU has 13,800 students, 1,600 PhD students, and 6,500 employees. We work in an international environment and have an inclusive, stimulating, and informal work culture. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities around the world.