Internship Project
Start-Ups and Entrepreneurship

SeaOn Biotech – Scientist

Institution
Humboldt Innovation
Subject Area
Plant Biotechnology, Synthetic Biology
Availability
Internship Modality:
On-site internship in Berlin

Applications for summer 2025 are closed.
This project is open to students from Brown University (Semester Internship Program in Berlin).
Project Supervisor(s)
Dr. Alessandro De Simone
Academic Level
MSc and early PhD students
Language
English; German is plus but not mandatory.
Project Type
Start-Up
Project Content
Plant Cell Culture for Sustainable Fatty Acid Production:
SeaOn is a synthetic biology startup focused on re-imagining sustainable fatty acids production using plant cell suspension cultures. Our current R&D project aims to engineer plant cells to produce different fatty acids for applications in cosmetics, food, and pharmaceutical industries. 

This is a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of plant metabolism and synthetic biology in a purpose-driven environment. 
Tasks for Interns
  • Maintain and propagate plant suspension cell cultures 
  • Assist in plant transformation using Agrobacterium-mediated delivery 
  • Support cloning and vector preparation for metabolic pathway engineering 
  • Monitor cell growth, biomass accumulation, and perform basic phenotyping 
  • Participate in lipid extraction and GC analysis (training provided) 
  • Document experimental progress and help analyze results 
Academic Level
MSc and early PhD students
Requirements
We welcome applications from MSc or early PhD students in: 
  • Plant Biotechnology 
  • Molecular Biology / Genetic Engineering 
  • Synthetic Biology 

Required Skills: 
  • Hands-on experience with plant tissue or cell culture (suspension culture a strong plus) 
  • Familiarity with sterile technique and working in laminar flow hoods 
  • Basic knowledge of plant physiology and metabolism 
  • Eagerness to learn, troubleshoot, and collaborate in a startup lab setting


⭐ Bonus Points For: 
  • Knowledge of plastid targeting, fatty acid biosynthesis, or GC-FAME analysis 
  • Prior experience with Agrobacterium transformation or vector design 
  • Experience with cell cultivation in bioreactors 
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For more information on the Humboldt Internship Program or the project, please contact the program coordinator.