The Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Science is looking for 1 full-time Postdoctoral Fellow to work with Dr. Ben Willing (Principle Investigator).

The position is part of the NSERC Alliance and Mitacs Accelerate funded project “Investigation of novel microorganisms and production methods to improve mixed fermentation beer quality” which is being carried out in collaboration with Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company in Edmonton, Alberta. The postdoctoral fellow will be responsible for performing microbiological analyses on a variety of sample and experiment types, including small scale synthetic communities, samples taken from production beer, and overseeing pilot scale mixed fermentation beer experiments at the University of Alberta’s Agri-Food Discovery Place.

The successful applicant should have a strong background in fermentation, with experience in larger scale fermentations and bioinformatics analysis considered an asset. The successful applicant will work closely with Blind Enthusiasm on the collection of samples and communication of results while collaborating with the labs of Dr. Michael Gänzle, Dr. James Harynuk, and Dr. Wendy Wismer to determine how microbial community dynamics influence the quality of these complex fermentations.

This postdoctoral appointment will have a wage of $50,000.00 – $65,000.00 CAN per annum commensurate with experience and will be for a three-year term which includes a benefits package

Qualifications 

1. Ph.D. in Microbiology, Food Science, or a related field. Proficient in molecular and classical microbiological techniques and analyses
2. Ability to form and investigate their own hypothesis based on initial results. Ability to collaborate and work in a team
3. Strong verbal and written skills for effective presentation and manuscript preparation. Excellent interpersonal, communication and writing skills