PhD position within environmental engineering - Ås (Norway) - deadline June 10th
Do you want to develop solutions turning aquaculture wastewater into sustainable fish feed?
A PhD position in environmental engineering, specifically in bioelectrochemistry, is available at the Department of Building and Environmental Engineering – Resource Recovery Group | NMBU at the Faculty of Science and Technology.
The PhD position is for a period of 3 years, with a desired start date of 15th of August 2026.
The PhD project is part of project PROWAQ. The project is funded by Research Council and aims to develop a lab-scale bioelectrochemical system for simultaneous aquaculture wastewater treatment and single cell protein (SCP) production.
Aquaculture is a key contributor to global food security and economic growth, particularly in Norway as the world’s second-largest seafood exporter. However, the industry faces sustainability and supply chain challenges due to its dependence on imported soy-based feed. This PhD project aims to develop sustainable, cost-effective, and scalable methods to produce single-cell protein (SCP) - a high-quality, protein-rich feed ingredient derived from microorganisms - using aquaculture wastewater. The project contributes to a circular, regenerative aquaculture system by coupling wastewater valorization with microbial protein production, aligning with Norway’s sustainability and food security goals.
The candidate will work on developing and optimizing a bioelectrochemical system that converts CO₂ into acetate, which then serves as a substrate for microbial SCP production. Key research tasks include:
Optimizing biocathode materials, microbial consortia, and reactor conditions for efficient acetate generation;
Designing and testing reactor configurations to improve scalability and resource utilization;
Demonstrating SCP production from acetate using selected feed-grade microorganisms.
This PhD project will be conducted in close collaboration with the research group Environmental Process Engineering at University of Bremen (Germany), where a parallel PhD project will focus on developing the anodic compartment and system interface. The two PhD candidates will work closely together to ensure the successful integration of both compartments into a functional and scalable bioelectrochemical reactor system. Regular meetings, data exchange, and extended research stays at each partner institution are expected to facilitate joint development, experimental coordination, and system optimization across the two sites.
Application and more information: https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/301555/phd-position-within-environmental-engineering
