This is an exciting opportunity to join the A*STAR Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI). SIFBI's core capabilities are in synthetic biology, nutrition and digestive health, with applications in food, nutrition, and consumer care. Its key mission is to position Singapore as a leading global innovation hub for value creation relevant to the FMCG and ingredient solutions industries and support national priorities towards food resilience and healthy longevity.

The Principal Scientist will:

• Develop research roadmaps and projects to advance SIFBI capabilities in Synthetic biology, helping to translate academic findings into industrial applications for the FMCG and ingredient solutions companies
• Develop and manage a grant strategy and pipeline with proposals to support strategic initiatives. Review and help to strengthen research proposals
• Lead and execute scientific projects. Mentor and develop junior team members
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external collaborators (e.g. NUS) to facilitate project development and collaboration
• Represent SIFBI's interests in scientific meetings with potential clients and at external industry events to promote partnerships and opportunities.

Individuals who are keen to see technology make a difference in industry and society, and who can handle the diversity and complexity of the business, government and academic worlds, will find a good fit with this role.

Job requirements:

• Strong background in synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, molecular biology, biochemistry, or chemical engineering, with proven ability to develop and lead independent, cutting-edge research
• Knowledge in applying computational tools in metabolic engineering studies
• Hands-on experience in environmental sampling, metagenomics, metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) reconstruction workflows, genome mining, and natural product discovery
• Experience with omics technologies (e.g., targeted/shotgun proteomics, metabolomics), high-throughput automation, data analysis using various software tools, Design of Experiments (DoE), and programming.
• A strong track record of peer-reviewed publications, including at least 10 first- or corresponding-author papers in internationally recognized journals.

The above eligibility criteria are not exhaustive. A*STAR may include additional selection criteria based on its prevailing recruitment policies. These policies may be amended from time to time without notice. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.