Work with us

All three internships will focus on the production scale-up of an algal culture (Spirulina and/or Chlorella) from inoculum preparation to harvesting the finished product.

Each student will be responsible for operating all types of photobioreactors in use (flasks of various volumes, 20 L columns and 600 L reactors).

The student’s task is to monitor algal growth and manage the operation of the reactors.

The three-year student will aim to study growth kinetics based on the variation of certain parameters (nutrients, light, temperature) and how these affect the final biomass produced.

The master’s degree student will aim to study, in addition to growth kinetics, the chemical composition (lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, pigments) of the final biomass produced .

It should be noted that all chemical analysis on biomass is conducted at the laboratories of the relevant universities while only the algal growth part is carried out on the farm.

Candidates are required to have basic laboratory experience (use of microscope, analytical balance, spectrophotometer, biological fume hood, autoclave, sonicator, centrifuges, preparation of culture medium using chemical reagents).

The objects of the internships will be:

• Use of wastewater from the food chain (dairies, breweries) as a culture medium for algal culture growth;
• Effect of red and white light exposure on biomass production by algae grown with use of food chain wastewater;
• Optimization of a biological culture medium for algal biomass production;

Applications will be supervised by Dr. Gianni Lutzu, Lab Manager of the company, to whose discretion we defer the decision of whether or not to admit the student to the internship.