Start date: 01.10.2026 (flexible)

Work location: Wagistrasse 18, Schlieren

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced Soil Remediation Engineer to lead the development and field application of microbial solutions for the remediation of PFAS in contaminated soils. You will design and run PFAS bioremediation projects from lab pilots to field-scale trials and full decontamination of contaminated sites and work closely with clients and regulators to deliver scalable bioremediation solutions.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of lab and field-scale soil remediation projects, testing and optimizing CellX's bacterial solutions on contaminated soil matrices in the lab and on site (e.g., industrial sites, landfill soils, agricultural land)

• Develop experimental and remediation strategies adapted to variable and complex soil matrices and translate client and site requirements into experimental designs, remediation strategies, and technical deliverables.

• Assemble and adapt microbial consortia for biodegradation of PFAS in soil

• Apply targeted molecular and sequencing approaches (e.g., 16S rRNA, qPCR, WGS) to characterize soil microbial communities and track key degraders

• Set up, operate, and optimize ex-situ and in-situ bioremediation systems (e.g., biopiles, in situ bioremediation slurry-phase bioreactors)

• Monitor and control key process parameters (moisture, pH, oxygen, temperature, nutrient availability, contaminant levels)

• Plan and interpret analytics (e.g., LC-MS/MS) in collaboration with our analytics unit to track degradation performance

• Support permitting, reporting, and regulatory interactions related to contaminated site remediation

• Collaborate closely with internal teams (R&D, analytics) and external partners to advance and scale solutions

Your profile

Required qualifications

• MSc or PhD in Environmental Sciences, Soil Science, Microbiology, Bio-chemical Engineering, or a related field, with several years (5+) of industry experience in the remediation of xenobiotics in soil 

• Strong, hands-on industry track record in soil bioremediation (topsoil and/or subsoil), ideally including project management of full scale remediation projects 

• Proven experience in the biodegradation/biotransformation of xenobiotics (e.g., PFAS, pesticides, chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons) in soil

• Practical experience with ex-situ and/or in-situ remediation technologies

• Experience in microbial cultivation (aerobic and/or anaerobic)

• Experience with project and people management

• Structured, reliable, and detail-oriented working style, comfortable working independently on-site and in the lab

• English proficiency (C1 level or higher)

Preferred qualifications

• Familiarity with environmental regulations and permitting processes for contaminated sites (Swiss/EU context a plus)

• Proficiency in German and/or French is a plus for interacting with clients and site stakeholders

We offer:

• Cutting-edge scientific environment at the intersection of microbiology, soil science, and environmental biotechnology

• A leading role in scaling up microbial soil remediation from pilot to commercial deployment

• Opportunities for training and career development in microbial bioremediation

• Competitive salary and a stock option package

• Collaborative startup culture with fast decision-making, a high level of responsibility, and the opportunity to have a significant impact in developing the world's first commercial bacterial solutions for PFAS bioremediation

Application Process

We look forward to receiving your application through the form below including all of the following documents:

•  Cover Letter

• CV

• Academic diplomas/certificates

• Contact information for 2 professional references

Start date: 01.01.2027 (flexible)

Work location: Wagistrasse 18, 8952 Schlieren

Work model: 100% onsite

Role Overview

We are looking for a Senior Computational Microbiologist to build and lead our in-house computational and molecular microbiology capability from the ground up. You will establish a mechanistic and metabolic understanding of how our bacterial strains and communities degrade PFAS and other persistent chemicals. You will translate this understanding into a computational pipeline that predicts strain performance and guides the rational design of synthetic microbial communities for specific use-cases.

This role bridges computation and experiment. You will work hands-on with sequencing data (Illumina, Oxford Nanopore & PacBio) as well as other omics and analytical data streams. You will also design the experiments that validate computational predictions in our strains. You will supervise a Laboratory Technician who supports wet-lab and sequencing workflows. This is a senior, high-impact, 100% onsite role with the freedom and responsibility to shape CellX's data-inferred product development as we move from the lab to the field.

Main Responsibilities

Team leadership & supervision

• Supervise and mentor our Laboratory Technician involved in the project, coordinating wet-lab, cultivation, and sequencing workflows (Illumina, Oxford Nanopore, PacBio) to ensure high-quality data for downstream analysis

• Set priorities and quality standards for sample preparation, sequencing, and data handover between wet lab and bioinformatics

Bioinformatics pipeline development

• Design, build, and maintain an in-house bioinformatics pipeline covering genome assembly, annotation, and comparative genomics from short-read and long-read sequencing data

• Evaluate and integrate the best available tools and methods, including AI/ML approaches, for genome mining, functional annotation, and strain characterization

• Ensure the pipeline is reproducible, scalable, and not limited to current technologies, so it can incorporate new sequencing and omics data types as they become relevant

Metabolic understanding & PFAS degradation

• Establish a metabolic-level understanding of how our bacterial strains degrade PFAS, identifying the genes, enzymes, and pathways involved

• Build and apply genome-scale metabolic models to predict degradation capability and metabolic potential across strains

Experimental validation & strain development

• Design and run experiments, including genetic tools and functional assays, to validate predicted degradation genes and pathways

• Develop genetic tools for non-model environmental bacteria to support strain characterization and improvement

Predictive modeling & synthetic community design

• Design and implement models that predict and learn from strain-level genomic and functional data to prioritize the most promising strains

• Develop a framework to guide how synthetic microbial communities should be assembled per use case, based on predicted strain function and interaction potential

Collaboration, field & regulatory support

• Work closely with our R&D team to align bioinformatics outputs with experimental and pilot-project needs

• Monitor applied strains in pilot and field deployments

• Contribute technical documentation for regulatory and biosafety approval of our microbial products

• Contribute bioinformatics analyses and insights to internal reports and, where relevant, client deliverables

Your Profile

Required qualifications

• PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Microbial Genomics, or a related field

• Senior-level experience (typically 5+ years) in microbiology research, combining computational and experimental work

• Strong programming skills (Python and/or R) and experience with workflow managers (e.g. Nextflow, Snakemake)

• Hands-on experience applying AI/ML methods to biological or genomic data (e.g. function prediction, genome mining, metabolic modeling)

• Solid understanding of microbial physiology and metabolism, including enzymatic transformation and degradation pathways

• Experience supervising, mentoring, or leading junior team members

• Excellent English skills (C1 or higher)

Preferred qualifications

• Direct experience in the PFAS field, or with biodegradation of other recalcitrant/xenobiotic pollutants

• Experience designing or modeling synthetic microbial communities/consortia

• Familiarity with long-read sequencing data (Oxford Nanopore, PacBio)

• Experience with regulatory documentation or field trials of applied microorganisms

• Prior experience in a startup or applied biotech environment

A note: research indicates that women and individuals from marginalized groups tend to apply only when they meet all of the criteria. If you believe you're qualified, but don't necessarily check every box, please submit an application.

We offer

• A senior, high-impact role shaping CellX's computational and molecular microbiology capability from the ground up

• Cutting-edge scientific environment at the intersection of microbiology, genomics, and environmental biotechnology

• Competitive salary and a stock option package

• Collaborative startup culture with fast decision-making, a high level of responsibility, and the opportunity to shape the world's first commercial bacterial solution for PFAS remediation

Application Process

We look forward to receiving your application through the form below including all of the following documents:

•  Cover Letter

• CV

• Academic diplomas/certificates

• Contact information for 2 professional references