Skip to main content

This job has expired

Bioprocessing Research Intern

Employer
Entomics Biosystems Ltd
Location
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (GB)
Salary
£1,000-£1,333/month, depending on experience
Closing date
30 Apr 2019

View more

Sector
Internship
Contract Type
Internship
Hours
Full Time

Company Overview

Entomics Biosystems Ltd is an innovative and dynamic start-up company at the forefront of insect biotechnology in the UK. Insects represent an emerging new biotechnology with unprecedented potential. The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is a species of particular interest and is growing in its industrial use. Black soldier fly larvae can be used to convert low value waste, such as food and other organic waste, into high value protein and fat-rich biomass, in the insect form. Insects therefore present a renewable and nutritional animal-feed as an alternative to those currently used, soy- and fish-meal. Both these meals are environmentally unsustainable, with soy-meal also being nutritionally poor.  The insect biotechnology industry has been gaining momentum over the years, given the global occurrence of organic waste and the feasibility of using insect biomass as a ubiquitous solution to reduce its environmental effect.

Metamorphosis is a proprietary bioprocessing platform developed by Entomics that enables processing of raw insect biomass into a higher value, functional animal feed additive via fermentation. Functional feeds contain benefits beyond mere nutritional values by promoting higher nutrient bioavailability, improving animal growth, development and overall health.

Project overview

Metamorphosis, to date, has been primarily exploring the use of bacterial and yeast species to ferment insect meals. We would like to broaden our investigations to include the potential use of filamentous fungi. From a bioprocessing angle, filamentous fungi represent an interesting opportunity for insect biomass processing. With their broad hydrolytic properties and fast metabolism, fungi represent an interesting addition to Entomics' portfolio. However, more in-depth characterisation of fungal strains is required to generate a market ready formulation that complies with EU/UK legislation.

This unique opportunity will enable the right candidate to expand on Entomics' work in this area and contribute genuinely original findings that may affect the business' path forward.

Intern Role:

1) Experimental design, execution and protocol optimisation of fungal fermentations

2) Maintenance of fungal strains and inoculum preparation

3) Assistance to Bio R&D team in preparing insect feedstocks for fermentation

4) Analysis of insect feedstocks pre-/post-fermentation

4.1) Proximate analyses and core protein quality assays

4.2) Metabolite analyses by chromatography (GC-FID based, focus on amino acid profiling by Phenomenex ezFaast kit)

5) Assessing processing requirements in respect of EFSA/FSA (UK) guidelines on fungi use in animal/human food and feed applications

6) Participating in IP development and commercial application discussions with broader team

7) Core market analysis and alternative application scoping

Project outcome:

We anticipate a successful project will result in one or more of the following:

a) Genuine new functional insect meal formulations utilising filamentous fungi

b) Optimised filamentous fungi analytical protocols

c) A report reflecting the benefits of fungal fermentation vs. additional regulatory challenges faced by working with them

c) Techno-economic assessment of filamentous fungi in context of insect bioprocessing

*** We are open to tailoring the project depending on the applicant's research interests, but are not expecting to deviate far from the project outlined ***

This internship is a unique opportunity for a candidate to further develop technical, reporting and business skills in the popular context of food and feed science, regarding functional nutrition, fungal fermentation and using insects as a novel feedstock.

Beyond the technology aspects of the internship, the most value added is to the intern's career development prospects through gaining experience in performing R&D in a start-up environment with clear commercial goals, thus providing a contrast to more traditional academic internships. Working on limited budgets, and consistently having to re-asses the importance of a given experiment considering limitations/economic constraints from the scaled-up commercial process, means the candidate will gain essential and sought-after skills for career continuation in any commercial scientific field.

Furthermore, regulation plays a key role in food and feed sectors, and we therefore anticipate the candidate will become exposed to EU and UK-specific regulatory landscapes and their interplay with product development.

Being a fast-growing biotechnology start-up, longer-term opportunities are likely to become available for well-suited individuals that over the course of the internship demonstrate dedication, attention to detail and effective problem-solving capacities.

Applicant requirements:

We are seeking an enthusiastic, motivated and versatile intern to join the Metamorphosis team at this exciting time in our development. Candidates are expected to be amenable, highly organised and technically competent.  From a technical perspective, the candidate will be able to utilise established methods and workflows (thus reducing the technical risk of a short placement) with novel fermentation agents. As a result, we anticipate the candidate to be exposed to a wide array of techniques which should provide a well-rounded, positive learning experience for an early career scientist.

Applicants must hold at least a BSc in Chemistry/Biochemistry or related subject. Previous laboratory experience is essential. We are open to any early stage scientist who is willing to gain some experience in the glamorous world of insect biomass conversion. Given the duration, this position would particularly suit a candidate in their last year of undergraduate or postgraduate education (especially Masters-level students), looking at experiencing research in an active start-up environment. The internship can be completed full-time over 3 months or part-time over 6 month, ideally beginning in June.

To apply for this position, please email your CV and a cover letter to Amy Charbonneau, amy@entomics.com. The closing date for application is 30th April 2019. If you have any questions about Metamorphosis or Entomics Biosystems Ltd, please contact Miha Pipan, miha@entomics.com

Get job alerts

Create a job alert and receive personalised job recommendations straight to your inbox.

Create alert