Scientists for HTP microbial strain engineering and heterologous expression

We are expanding our research both within our core and new therapeutic areas. We are therefore recruiting talented scientists to work on automated high-throughput (HTP) microbial strain engineering and recombinant protein production. If you thrive in an international scientific environment with a focus on empowerment, employee well-being, and data-driven decisions, then this opportunity could be right for you. 

Apply now and join us to improve the lives of millions of people through innovative pharmaceutical solutions!

The positions
The positions come with a strong mandate and a wide range of opportunities to spearhead research projects that will ultimately make a difference for patients with unmet medical needs. As a scientist in Microbial Expression Engineering (MiEE), your primary focus will be on strain engineering for improved protein or peptide production and/or quality, screening, and characterization of the same as well as HTP protein expression technologies currently running on our automated workstations. 

In these roles, you will work closely with stakeholders across the internal research organization, including specialists within the disease areas, mammalian expression systems, immuno-technology, cell culture, and protein technology. The positions offer excellent opportunities for developing scientific and personal competencies within an international organization.

We value a collaborative, positive, honest, and responsible attitude and strive for high scientific standards to secure progress for our teams and projects.

We seek candidates at different levels – Research/Senior Scientist or Specialist. The job title will be decided based on the chosen candidates’ qualifications and seniority level.

We welcome people of all experience levels to apply and grow with us. 

Qualifications
To thrive and succeed in these positions, we expect that you: 

• Are an excellent molecular biologist holding a relevant scientific degree (biology, biochemistry, engineering or similar) supplemented with a PhD and preferably pertinent experience within e.g. synthetic biology, enzyme production, metabolic engineering, microbial molecular genetics and/or high-throughput automation of molecular biology processes.
• Have extensive experience with building yeast and/or bacterial bacteria-based libraries and screening them via HTP technologies such as e.g. FACS or droplet-based microfluidics.
• Are experienced in obtaining regulatory approval of microbial strains.

In addition, hands-on experience with protein expression optimisation, Komagataella phaffii, next-generation sequencing, and handling of large datasets with e.g. Python or other high-level, general-purpose programming languages is beneficial.

As the roles cover all aspects of the experimental work from planning and design of experiments over practical execution of experiments to documentation and presentation of the results to colleagues across the organization, it requires a profound understanding of the intellectual property, quality and practical requirements involved in the development of recombinant proteins and peptides for human therapeutic use. 

As a person, you are curious and open-minded to new ideas, people, and challenges. You have excellent communication skills, and you thrive working in a cross-functional, multi-disciplinary setting. You are a good team player, who consistently engages in constructive collaboration and values cooperation and knowledge sharing. Your passion for science and ability to impact and progress projects inspire those around you. 

About the department
Microbial Expression Engineering (MiEE) is part of Recombinant Drug Research and has microbial strain engineering and protein production as core tasks. The primary responsibility of MiEE is to ensure timely support to our research projects with a broad range of protein expression technologies, strain optimization tools, and production strains.

In Recombinant Drug Research, we collaborate across the full research value chain to discover and advance innovative recombinant protein and peptide therapeutic candidates. The area maintains a vibrant scientific culture and seamlessly connects broad competencies across multidisciplinary teams that are motivated by revolutionizing the development of innovative therapies to treat a wide range of serious chronic diseases.

Working at Novo Nordisk
At Novo Nordisk, we do not wait for change. We drive it. We are a dynamic company in an even more dynamic industry, and we know that what got us to where we are today is not necessarily what will make us successful in the future. We embrace the spirit of experimentation, striving for excellence, without fixating on perfection. We never shy away from opportunities to develop we seize them. From research and development to manufacturing, marketing, and sales – we’re all working to move the needle on patient care.

Contact
For further information, please contact Morten Nørholm at ghnm@novonordisk.com or Vera Schramke at ves@novonordisk.com

Deadline
March 15, 2025.
You do not need to attach a cover letter to your application, but please include a few sentences about why you are applying in your resume or CV. To ensure an efficient and fair recruitment process, please refrain from adding a photo to your CV.
 

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants. 

At Novo Nordisk we recognize that it is no longer good enough to aspire to be the best company in the world. We need to aspire to be the best company for the world and we know that this is only possible with talented employees with diverse perspectives, backgrounds and cultures. We are therefore committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity of our employees, the patients we serve and communities we operate in. Together, we’re life changing.