Continuous Expression and Purification of Recombinant Lactoferrin in Pichia pastoris (Precision Fermentation) University of Adelaide in Australia

Join the Biomanufacturing Research Group at the University of Adelaide’s School of Chemical Engineering and help pioneer the next generation of sustainable biomanufacturing. This PhD project focuses on developing a fully continuous precision-fermentation platform for the production and purification of recombinant lactoferrin in Pichia pastoris. Lactoferrin is a high-value bioactive protein with significant applications in nutrition, health, and biopharmaceuticals. By leveraging continuous processing, this research aims to dramatically improve productivity, consistency, and cost-effectiveness in functional protein manufacturing.

As a PhD candidate, you will build and operate a long-term continuous yeast bioprocess, integrating robust downstream operations to enable steady-state production of high-quality lactoferrin. The project encompasses strain development and expression optimisation, but the core emphasis is on continuous bioreactor operation, process analytics, and purification workflows. You will generate publishable results and platform capabilities with strong translational and industry relevance.

Key research activities include:

• Developing and optimising Pichia pastoris strains for recombinant lactoferrin expression, including screening strategies and expression tuning.
• Designing and running continuous fermentation modes (e.g., chemostat/perfusion strategies) with a focus on stability, productivity, and reproducibility.
• Establishing at-line/online analytics for monitoring growth, metabolism, and product quality (cell density/viability, metabolites, titer, impurity profiles).
• Developing continuous or intensified purification workflows (capture and polishing concepts, membrane operations, chromatography strategies, precipitation/clarification approaches).
• Investigating process robustness and long-duration performance, including contamination risk, genetic stability, productivity drift, fouling, and control strategies.
• Integrating upstream and downstream insights into a coherent process model and techno-economic perspective to support scale-up decisions.

This opportunity is ideal for candidates excited by hands-on experimental work and process thinking, who want to design, run, and troubleshoot real bioprocesses while producing impactful research outcomes in precision fermentation and biomanufacturing.

Eligibility: Applicants should hold (or expect to obtain) a strong Master’s or First-Class Honours Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, Bioengineering, Microbiology, or a closely related discipline. International applicants must meet English language requirements (IELTS minimum 6.5 overall, no band below 6.0 or equivalent TOEFL score).

Application Process: Interested candidates should first send an expression of interest to Dr Lukas Gerstweiler ([email protected]) including a CV, academic transcripts, and a brief statement of research interests and relevant experience. Suitable candidates will be invited to submit a formal application for admission and scholarship via the Adelaide University research degree portal. For scholarship consideration, contact the supervisor as soon as possible. The deadline for scholarship rounds is 1 February 2026, but applications are accepted year-round.

For more information about the research group, visit: Biomanufacturing Research Group.

Advance continuous bioprocessing and precision fermentation with us, and help deliver scalable, sustainable production of next-generation functional proteins.