PhD position in purple engineering

Organisation/Company University of Antwerp Research Field Biological sciences » Other Chemistry » Biochemistry Chemistry » Other Engineering » Other Technology » Biotechnology Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Country Belgium Final date to receive applications 19 Jan 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Let’s shape the future – Purple Engineering at the University of Antwerp

Our consortium is seeking two full-time PhD candidates with a strong background in applied microbiology and bioprocess engineering to join Purple Spark
, a groundbreaking collaborative project between Environmental Technology at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), and Biobased Sustainability Engineering (SUSTAIN) at the University of Antwerp (UAntwerp). The partnership combines leading expertise in microbial electrochemistry and purple biotechnology, providing a solid basis for advancing photobioelectrochemical systems and producing high‑value bioproducts with purple phototrophic bacteria.

One PhD student will be based in Wageningen, working under the supervision of Prof. Annemiek ter Heijne, Dr. Tom Sleutels and Dr. Sanne de Smit, with microbial electrochemistry as the main focus. The second PhD student will be based in Antwerp, supervised by Prof. Siegfried Vlaeminck and Dr. Luis Diaz Allegue, with purple biotechnology as the primary focus. Both students will collaborate closely, and secondments to the other institute are planned.

This job description and application are for the UAntwerp position in purple engineering. If your interest lies with bioelectrochemical systems, please refer to the WUR jobsite.

The University of Antwerp (UAntwerp) is a dynamic, forward‑thinking university. We offer innovative academic education to more than 23000 students, conduct pioneering scientific research and play an important service‑providing role in society. We are one of the largest, most international and most innovative employers in the region. With more than 6900 employees from more than 130 countries, we are helping to build tomorrow’s world every day.

Through top scientific research, we push boundaries and set a course for the future – a future that you can help to shape.

The Bioscience Engineering Department was created in 2006, recognizing a strong societal demand in the field of applied life sciences, such as cleantech and environmental technology, for instance. In 2015, prof. Siegfried Vlaeminck launched Biobased Cleantech and Environmental Analysis Research (BioCLEAR), a proud member of the Biobased Sustainability Engineering (SUSTAIN ) Research Group of the Faculty of Science . The team’s mission is to develop clean solutions for environmental and industrial biotechnology, and to assess the environmental sustainability of novel treatment and production pipelines.

One example of a key research domain is added‑value microbial products, for instance optimising the productivities of pigments and antioxidants in purple bacteria. The team collaborates with industrial partners, as a core member of the European projects such as Purple4

Life , Purple Gain , Bio Val , but also for dedicated tech transfer trajectories, and is a member of the UAntwerp Enviromics valorization consortium and the Flemish CAPTURE research platform.

At the University of Antwerp, you will investigate the isolation and bioproduction potential of specialised N₂‑fixing purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB). You will systematically study how process conditions affect PPB growth, composition, and performance. The work combines controlled laboratory experiments with comprehensive analytical approaches to address a key research gap: achieving a mechanistic understanding of how electron donor and acceptor fluxes influence biomass retention, biofilm formation, and overall metabolic efficiency, with feed and food applications in mind.

• As a PhD candidate, you will work toward completing a doctoral thesis in Bioscience Engineering, with a…