Research fellow in gas fermentation and sustainable bioprocesses

Research fellow in gas fermentation and sustainable bioprocesses

Italy

Commitment & contract: collaboration contract, 13 months, Fellow position

Location: Center for Sustainable Future Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Torino, Italy

Step into a world of endless possibilities, together let’s leave something for the future

At IIT, we are committed to advancing human‑centered Science and Technology to address the most urgent societal challenges of our era. We foster excellence in both fundamental and applied research, spanning fields such as neuroscience and cognition, humanoid technologies and robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and material sciences, offering a truly interdisciplinary scientific experience. Our approach integrates cutting‑edge tools and technology, empowering researchers to push the limits of knowledge and innovation. With us, your curiosity will know no bounds.

We are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities and fostering diversity in all its forms, creating an inclusive environment. We value the unique experiences, knowledge, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives of our people. By embracing diversity, we believe science can achieve its fullest potential.

THE ROLE

You will be working in a multicultural and multi‑disciplinary group, where junior and senior scientists collaborate, each with their expertise, to carry out a scientific activity with a shared research goal.

The Center for Sustainable Future Technologies (CSFT) is an interdisciplinary research center committed to addressing sustainability challenges through innovative solutions for the energy transition, circular economy, and valorization of renewable resources. The Center develops advanced materials, processes, and systems aimed at reducing environmental impact and promoting the conversion of waste streams and carbon‑based feedstocks into valuable products.

The Advanced Materials for Sustainable Future Technologies Research unit is coordinated by Prof. Candido Fabrizio Pirri. The research focuses on a combination of advanced materials science with microbial biotechnology, focusing on the development of innovative bioprocesses based on photosynthetic and gas‑fermenting microorganisms for the sustainable production of chemicals, fuels, and other value‑added products. This includes research activities carried out within the European project GoodByO (Multi‑commodities microbial‑driven Biorefinery based on food‑processing industry wastes, biogenic CO₂ and bioprocess wastewaters). In particular, the development and optimization of microbial gas fermentation processes for the conversion of biogenic CO₂ and renewable hydrogen into bio‑based chemicals, contributing to the advancement of sustainable biorefinery technologies.

Within the research team, your main responsibilities will be:

• Maintain and cultivate anaerobic microbial strains, prepare culture media and inocula, and perform routine laboratory activities required for the operation of gas fermentation experiments.
• Operate and monitor anaerobic bioreactors and gas fermentation systems.
• Perform analytical characterization of fermentation products, with particular focus on bio‑hexanol production.
• Analyze process performance and microbial growth data.
• Contribute to process optimization and scale‑up activities.
• Contribute to the preparation of technical reports, scientific publications and project deliverables.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Master's degree in Biotechnology, Industrial Biotechnology, Microbiology, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Biochemistry or related disciplines.
• Hands‑on experience in microbial cultivation and lab‑scale bioprocesses.
• Hands‑on experience with gaseous flows control systems.
• Basic knowledge of molecular biology technologies.
• Basic knowledge of fermentation technologies and anaerobic microbiology.
• Good command of spoken and written English.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

• Knowledge of analytical techniques such as HPLC, GC and spectrophotometry
• Ability to work in a challenging and international environment
• Capacity to work autonomously and collaboratively in a highly interdisciplinary environment
• Possess Analytical Reasoning skills and a growth mindset

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

• A yearly gross salary of 21.000 euro
• Private health care coverage depending on your role and contract
• Candidates from abroad or Italian citizens who have carried scientific research activity permanently abroad and meet specific requirements, may be entitled to a deduction from taxable income of up to 90% from 6 to 13 years.

This open position is financed by Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) within the G