Post-Doctoral Fellow (Algae)

Job Description:

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to work on an algae-based water treatment research project focused on the use of microalgae, cyanobacteria, or algal-bacterial systems for sustainable water treatment applications. The successful candidate will contribute to the design, operation, optimization, and monitoring of photobioreactor-based systems and support the development of scalable algae-based treatment technologies. The postdoctoral researcher will work closely with the project team to operate laboratory-scale and pilot-scale photobioreactors, evaluate system performance, analyze biological and physicochemical treatment processes, and generate high-quality research outputs. Key Responsibilities The postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for: Designing, operating, and maintaining photobioreactor systems for algae-based water treatment experiments. Cultivating and monitoring microalgae, cyanobacteria, or algal-bacterial consortia under controlled environmental conditions. Optimizing operating parameters such as hydraulic retention time, salinity, light intensity, nutrient loading, pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, carbon dioxide supply, and mixing. Evaluating treatment performance, including nutrient removal, biomass productivity, organic matter removal, salinity-related impacts, and overall water quality improvement. Conducting routine water quality analyses, including conductivity, TDS, salinity, pH, alkalinity, COD, nitrogen species, phosphorus, and relevant ionic composition. Supporting the setup, calibration, troubleshooting, and maintenance of sensors, pumps, lighting systems, gas supply systems, and monitoring equipment. Developing experimental plans, collecting and analyzing data, and preparing technical reports. Contributing to peer-reviewed journal publications, conference presentations, and project deliverables. Supervising graduate and undergraduate students involved in the project. Ensuring compliance with laboratory safety procedures and good research practices. Assisting with procurement of materials, chemicals, equipment, and consumables related to the project. Participating in project meetings and coordinating with collaborators and funding partners.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Water Resources Engineering, or a closely related field. • A strong background in operating photobioreactors, preferably for microalgae, cyanobacteria, or algal-bacterial systems. • Hands-on experience with algae-based biological water or wastewater treatment systems. • Experience working with saline water, brackish water, seawater, wastewater, or industrial water treatment applications. • Strong knowledge of water quality analysis and environmental laboratory methods. • Experience in experimental design, data analysis, and interpretation of reactor performance. • A strong publication record or demonstrated ability to publish in peer-reviewed journals. • Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. • Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary research team.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Algae-based treatment systems using microalgae, cyanobacteria, bacteria, or algal-bacterial consortia. • Operation of flat-panel, tubular, column, raceway, or internally illuminated photobioreactors. • Treatment of saline, brackish, seawater, wastewater, or nutrient-rich waste streams. • Ion transport, nutrient recovery, carbon capture, biomass harvesting, or biomass valorization. • Molecular or microbiological techniques for characterizing microbial communities. • Pilot-scale reactor operation and field deployment. • Process modeling, mass balance analysis, kinetic modeling, or techno-economic assessment. • Use of sensors, data logging systems, automation, and real-time monitoring. • Grant writing, proposal development, or preparation of funding reports.