Post Doctorate RA - HTP-Strain Engineering and Phenotyping

Overview

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget.

Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus.

The Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate (EBSD) leads critical research in four areas:
Atmospheric, Climate & Earth Sciences, Biological Sciences, Environmental Molecular Sciences, and Global Change. Our vision is to develop a predictive understanding of biological and Earth systems in transition. We aim to understand energy and material flows within the integrated Earth system; to understand, predict, and control the response of biosystems to environmental and/or genomic changes; and to Model the Earth system from the subsurface to the atmosphere.

The Environmental Molecular Sciences Division is comprised of 18 interdisciplinary research teams focused on deciphering molecular‑level interactions driving biological and environmental processes across temporal and spatial scales. Through computational analysis and modeling, these findings contribute to predictive understanding of how systems respond to environmental perturbations thus enabling solutions to the nation’s energy, environmental, and human health challenges. The division also manages the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus that accelerates the research of scientists around the world by providing access to world‑class expertise, instrumentation, and computational resources.

The Functional and Systems Biology Group in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Division at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is seeking a motivated researcher to advance high‑throughput strain engineering and phenotyping using genome editing tools, biosensors, and automated cultivation systems. The goal is to develop robust microbial, fungal, and algal platforms for biofuels and bioproducts through genetic and phenotypic optimization. The candidate will focus on engineering strains to enhance desired traits using automated phenotyping workflows and applying biosensors to detect phenotypic signatures for rapid strain optimization.

Key responsibilities include designing, developing, and implementing high‑throughput automated workflows for the EMSL User Program and DOE BER‑sponsored projects. These workflows will integrate high‑resolution, single‑cell phenotyping with multi‑modal techniques (e.g., transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) to uncover genetic drivers of phenotypic traits, elucidate protein function, and guide strain improvement. The candidate will collaborate within a multi‑researcher team to integrate experimental data using bioinformatics and molecular tools, refine strain engineering strategies, and contribute to scientific publications.

Collaboration with interdisciplinary and multi‑institutional teams will be essential to achieving research goals. The candidate will ensure adherence to laboratory safety and compliance standards. This role offers a dynamic opportunity to innovate high‑throughput phenotyping approaches, advance strain optimization, and contribute to the development of sustainable solutions for the bioeconomy.

*** ONSITE ONLY
*** Position is ONSITE work only in Richland, WA.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Candidates must have received a PhD within the past five years (60 months) or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in microbiology, bioengineering, microbial genetics, chemical engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in strain development, lab automation, and genetic engineering.
• The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in microbiology, synthetic biology, bioengineering, or a related field,…