About the Role
Octarine Bio is seeking a highly skilled Microbial Strain Engineer to join their R&D team:
The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in molecular biology and yeast genetic engineering, with hands-on experience constructing and optimizing heterologous biosynthetic pathways. You will play a critical role in building next-generation pigment-producing yeast strains and advancing our strain engineering platform.

This position is ideal for someone who thrives in a hands-on, fast-paced startup environment and wants to make a tangible impact on sustainable colour technology.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and optimize engineered yeast strains for pigment biosynthesis

• Construct genetic pathways using modern cloning methods, with a strong emphasis on Golden Gate Assembly

• Perform yeast transformations for both genomic integrations and plasmid-based expression

• Conduct genotyping, phenotyping, and metabolic profiling of engineered strains

• Troubleshoot pathway performance and implement engineering strategies to improve titer, yield and productivity, and reduce by-product formation

• Collaborate with fermentation and analytical teams to validate strain performance at bench and pilot scale

• Maintain detailed electronic lab notebooks and contribute to documentation for IP and regulatory filings

Your Profile

• MSc or PhD in Synthetic Biology, Molecular Biology, Metabolic Engineering, Microbiology, Bioengineering, or a related field (or equivalent industry experience)

• Strong proficiency in molecular cloning, particularly Golden Gate and modular DNA assembly workflows

• Hands-on experience with yeast transformation, genome editing, and strain construction

• Demonstrated ability in genotyping (PCR, qPCR, sequencing workflows) and phenotyping (growth assays, metabolite analysis, pathway expression validation)

• Solid understanding of yeast metabolism, metabolic flux, and pathway design

• Experience expressing and optimizing heterologous metabolic pathways, including enzyme selection, promoter tuning, and pathway balancing

• Strong data analysis, problem-solving skills, and methodological rigor

Bonus Points

• Experience with CRISPR-based genome engineering in yeast

• Experience with bioinformatics pipelines including whole-genome sequencing and NGS

• Experience with enzyme modelling and engineering

• Knowledge of fermentation scale-up considerations

• Ability to work in fast-moving, interdisciplinary teams

Why Work With Us
At Octarine, you’ll join a team of scientists and innovators redefining how colour is made. Located in the heart of Copenhagen, one of Europe’s most livable cities, we combine world-class science with a collaborative, mission-driven culture.

As a growing synthetic biology scale-up, we offer:

• A high degree of autonomy and ownership in your work

• The chance to see your research translate directly into real-world impact

• A diverse, fast-paced environment where every day brings new scientific challenges

• The satisfaction of helping solve big societal problems through biotechnology and sustainability

How to Apply
If this sounds like you and you’re excited to join our team, please apply as soon as possible — applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Please include at least one paragraph in your CV or cover letter explaining how your background aligns with the role.

For questions, contact Nick Milne, CSO, at nickmilne@octarinebio.com.

About Octarine
Octarine is a world-leading synthetic biology platform company with a mission to harness nature to create bio-based, low-impact solutions addressing some of the planet’s most pressing challenges.

Founded in 2018 from research at the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark, Octarine combines expertise in cell factory engineering, precision fermentation, and enzymatic enhancement to deliver sustainable, high-performance products.

We are developing bio-based pigments and colorants for applications across textiles, printing inks, coatings, and cosmetics, replacing petroleum-derived colorants with sustainable, next-generation alternatives.

At Octarine, we’re inspired by nature — to protect nature.