CFD Engineer for Bioprocesses

Description:

Braskem, a global leader in the production of bio-based materials, is committed to reducing the carbon intensity of its products through development of technology utilizing bio-based feedstocks. In addition to its existing biotechnology research center in Campinas, Brazil, Braskem has recently opened a new renewable research and development facility in Lexington, MA. These two state-of-the-art facilities bring together scientists and engineers from a variety of disciplines to ideate and develop novel technologies for the production of bio-based chemicals and materials.

Braskem Innovation and Technology is seeking an exceptional Computational Fluid Dynamic engineer for conceptual process design and scale-up of emerging technologies in the area of bio-based chemicals via fermentation processes. The candidate will have primary responsibility for CFD Modeling of fermentation/downstream commercial process design, ensuring technical risks are addressed and mitigated in the scale-up from lab to pilot/demo phases. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in bioprocess scale-up with experience in industrial implementation of new technology, technological knowledge of purification techniques for bio-processes, and comfort working closely with innovative teams from research and development.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strong technical foundation with the ability to apply first-principles engineering thinking, including fluid dynamics, transport phenomena, thermodynamics, and scale-up/scale-down principles;
• Experience computational fluid dynamics (CFD), modeling, simulation, experimental fluid dynamics, or related tools to support design decisions and application understanding;
• Establish and lead our CFD capability, including selecting modelling tools, defining workflows, and establishing best‑practice standards and providing expert guidance on Fermentation Technology development;
• Develop and apply mechanistic and/or data‑driven models to support process understanding and decision‑making, in collaboration with data scientists and subject matter experts.
• Contribute to scientific and technical strategy, including evaluation of new technologies, digital tools, and modelling approaches relevant to fermentation/DSP development.

Requirements:

• A master’s degree in chemical engineering, biotechnology or other relevant fields.
• Minimum of 6 years of relevant experience or 3 Years with a PhD in Computational Fluid Dynamic modelling focused on bioprocess development.
• Extensive hands-on CFD simulation experience.
• Experience in bioreactor operation, scale-up, and process optimization (DoE).
• Excellent communication, teamwork, and project management skills.
• Demonstrated experience in process development for fermentation product purification and implementation of new bioprocess technology at industrial scale.
• English and Portuguese fluency is required
• Candidate will work in a hybrid mode with a home site of Campinas, Brazil to ensure a close working relationship with research teams at the Braskem Tech Centers.