PRR Project

Summary

The scientific area of Biomolecular and Bioprocess Engineering (EBB) of the Department of Bioengineering (DBE) of IST explores biology-based engineering solutions to streamline the translation of research into innovative and sustainable processes that use cells or enzymes to produce products with impact in Health (e.g. antibodies, nucleic acids, cells, tissues, organoids) and in the Bioeconomy (enzymes, biofuels, value-added bioproducts, carbon-based building blocks, clean water).IST and its DBE are dedicated to tackling the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Among these, the need to improve the sustainability of resource usage, and to develop affordable therapies, vaccines, drugs, biofuels, and other value added-bioproducts are two challenges that merit our attention. The development of sustainable bioprocess engineering approaches plays a crucial role in facing these challenges and have a large potential to contribute to reduce environmental footprints, increase productivity, improve (bio)product quality and drastically reduce manufacturing costs.Key areas of Bioprocess Engineering include fermentation, downstream processing, bioreactor design, and process optimization. These areas are moving towards the use of advanced technologies and digitalization techniques to ensure that bioprocessing is efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable. Further, there is a transition from traditional batch manufacturing to continuous manufacturing, with the anticipation that bioproducts will be produced in a genuinely continuous mode in the near future. Key challenges of modern bioprocessing engineering are: Bioprocessing Sustainability: there is a need to develop more efficient and sustainable processes, to improve yield and quality of products, reduce waste, and minimize energy and resource use. This requires optimization of renewable resources , the use of continuous manufacturing and integrated processes , and the development of new bioprocessing technologies . Bioprocessing Modeling and Optimization: scaling up operations requires mathematical models for predicting and optimizing the behavior of biological systems. This may involve using microfluidic platforms for High-Throughput Process Screening (HTPS), Digital Twin technologies for real-time simulation, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques, for modeling and optimizing complex data sets. Process Control and Monitoring: maintaining consistency and quality in variable bioprocessing operations necessitates advanced sensors, control systems, Digital Twins for real-time monitoring and control, Process Analytical Technologies (PAT), and Quality by Design (QBD).The EBB scientific area considers it essential to hire scientifically knowledgeable, technically skilled, and innovative engineers/scientists in these emerging research topics. By attracting new expertise in advanced bioprocess technologies, the DBE will be better positioned to face current and future challenges of the Bioprocessing Engineering field, and to sustain IST’s leadership and international recognition in this area.The new faculty hire is expected to emphasize Process Design & Development of Manufacturing Processes with a focus on downstream processing for the isolation and purification of cells, new biopharmaceutical modalities and biomolecules in general. Additionally, the candidate is encouraged to explore topics such as continuous and integrated downstream processing, digitalization and modeling of unit operations, use of miniaturized platforms and microfluidic devices for process optimization, as well as contribute to the development of biosensing tools for effective monitoring of separations. Such an interdisciplinary approach will contribute to the development of robust and adaptive downstream processing methodologies, further advancing the frontiers of biomanufacturing.The ideal candidate is expected to establish a nationally and internationally recognized independent research program (evidenced by publications and capture of external funding) that increases the impact and visibility of IST and iBB in the area. She/he should lead/launch/strengthen the EBB area with a focus on Bioreactors; complement existing research lines in the DBE and in iBB; create new teaching offerings or enhance existing ones; and teach and work collaboratively on academic courses both at undergraduate and graduate.In line with the policy of the Scientific Council of IST, the DBE and iBB will carry out an extensive search process to obtain evidence of the existence of potential candidates with a profile suitable for filling the position. This scouting process entails actively promoting our search for specific profiles and inviting potential candidates to conduct seminars at IST.