Context
Bacterial contamination of food products represents an ongoing public health hazard, resulting in massive food waste and billions of dollars in costs to food companies every year. Current bacterial detection and identification methods are slow and require up to several days to provide results. At Bioneris, a startup company based in Lausanne, on the EPFL campus, we are aiming to revolutionize bacterial detection methods to stop contaminated products from reaching consumers’ plates, while reducing food waste, operational inefficiencies and costs for companies. We’re developing a solution combining Raman spectroscopy, biochemistry and microfluidics for fast results.
Project & role overview
Your role will consist in contributing to the development of an assay using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) combined with microfluidics to enable detection of ultra-low concentrations of bacterial cells. You will contribute to developing and refining this platform and explore new ways of detecting bacteria in relevant conditions, all within a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment in close-contact with the industry.
Your missions
* Culture and prepare BSL-1 and BSL-2 bacterial samples for experiments
* Conduct immunoassays to evaluate test performance
* Operate a home-made microfluidics system to run assays
* Develop and optimize innovative methods for efficient bacterial extraction from complex samples
* Research and interpret relevant food safety regulations to inform technology development and determine performance criteria
* Collaborate with other members of the team to bring our solution to life
Your profile
* Master’s degree or PhD in microbiology, biochemistry, life sciences or a related field
* Previous hands-on lab experience with bacterial culture and antibody/protein work
* Experience with immunoassays and bioconjugation chemistry
* Experience with Raman spectroscopy and flow cytometry is a plus
* Ability to work across disciplines and communicate with interdisciplinary team members
* Entrepreneurial spirit and drive to innovate, try and develop new things
#J-18808-Ljbffr