Doctoral fellow

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15.000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities.
With its 11 faculties and more than 85 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

For the Faculty of bioscience Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, Centre for Synthetic Biology we are looking for a m/f/x:
Doctoral fellow

Topic: biosynthesis of plant-AMF signaling compounds via microbial cell factories

YOUR TASKS

BioPort is a young and dynamic research group composed of eight researchers at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Centre for Synthetic Biology of Ghent University. We work on several fundamental and applied aspects of industrial biotechnology and synthetic biology, involving various microorganisms (e.g. microbial transport systems to promote compound membrane crossing in a synthetic biology context, yeast lipids and waste valorisation, C1 utilization). Check our website at https://csb-bioport.mystrikingly.com and www.csb.ugent.be).

You will be hired with the goal to perform doctoral research and to obtain a doctoral degree in 4 years time. You will be employed on the Horizon Europe Pathfinder project “Engineering bioreactor mass production of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for European farming (AMFactory)”, where researchers from several institutes and countries join forces. It is your task enable low-cost, large-scale biosynthesis of plant-AMF signaling compounds via microbial cell factories and synthetic biology (WP3). These plant-AMF signaling compounds are essential for optimal fungal colonization of the plant roots. They will be identified by other partners and we will establish their heterologous production in microbial cell factories such as Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Yarrowia lipolytica. An abstract of the research project can be found below.

Abstract:
Microbial inoculants containing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are powerful tools in increasing the sustainability of our food production systems. These soil fungi form a symbiotic association with almost all major agricultural crops, acquiring nutrients beyond the nutrient-depleted zone of the rhizosphere to meet plant nutrient requirements, resulting in increased biomass and yield. AMF-colonized plants also show greater tolerance to a /biotic stresses. The production of these inoculants has thus huge economic value. However, current AMF production relies largely on substrate-based cultivation systems with suitable host plants, which is space-demanding, hard to scale-up and prone to carrying unwanted contaminants. An alternative exists with the production of AMF in vitro in root organ cultures (ROC). This method also has some drawbacks. It is labor-intensive, costly, and produces comparatively fewer spores than in the greenhouse. Mass production of AMF at industrial scale is, however, done in ROC, but in countries where labor costs are well below EU salaries. This model is not viable in the EU which is characterized by high salaries and stringent regulations.
The ambition of AMFactory is therefore to bridge the gap between the contaminant-free production of AMFs in ROC and their mass-production in bioreactors at low costs, making EU worldwide competitive on the market of AMF bioinoculants.

If relevant, we will support your personal application for a FWO PhD fellowship strategic basic research or FWO PhD fellowship fundamental research with deadline of March 1st 2026. Obtaining such a scholarship will allow you to extend your research time and priority could be given to candidates willing and entitled to apply for such scholarship. More information on these PhD-scholarships can be found on the webpages mentioned below:
http://www.fwo.be/en/fellowships-funding/phd-fellowships/phd-fellowship-strategic-basic-research/
http://www.fwo.be/en/fellowships-funding/phd-fellowships/phd-fellowship-fundamental-research/

Some requirements related to these scholarships:

• You have obtained your master degree with at least ‘distinction’ (cum laude), and no longer than 3 years ago calculating from 01/03/2026
• You have not previously received a FWO fellowship (not even in part)
• At deadline of submission (01/03/2026), you have no more than 18 months of scientific experience

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• You hold a Master’s degree in Bioscience Engineering, Biochemistry, Biotechnology or Biomedical Engineering from one of the countries of the EU, the EER or Switzerland
• Experience with molecular biology and microbiology is essential
• Experience with industrial biotechnology, synthetic biology or biochemistry is a plus
• Experience with the modification of E. coli, S. cerevisiae or Y lipolytica is a plus
• Being fluent in English is essential, knowledge of Dutch is a plus
• You proved to have scientific maturity and independence
• You are creative, can think out of the box and have a pioneering spirit
• You are able to deal with failure
• You are a team player and smooth communicator

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which - after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
• Your contract will start on 01/05/2026 the latest.
• The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by Team Personnel Administration based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits.

INTERESTED?

Send your cv (including study results, thesis research topic, contact information of possible referee persons and a recent picture of yourself), copy of your diploma and a motivation letter to csb_recruitment@ugent.be. We do not accept late applications.

If your application is incomplete or if you are not meeting the essentials of the job profile, you will not receive an answer.

As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Dr. ir. Inge Van Bogaert (Inge.VanBogaert@ugent.be, +32(0)9/264 60 34).