Lab Intern - USP Operations

As a Laboratory USP Intern, you will support upstream operations focusing on fermentation process development, media preparation and culture maintenance. You will work closely with our R&D and DSP team to help optimize microbial growth conditions for our mixed culture system. This is a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience in microbial bioprocessing while contributing to a high-impact, sustainability-focused project.

ExCulture is a growing biotech start-up company on a mission to become the global pioneer of mixed culture fermentation for the efficient and reliable production of complex novel biopharmaceuticals. As a showcase product, we envision ExCulture’s alternative heparin to be the preferred, safer, more efficacious product that not only solves the current shortage but altogether replaces the current animal-derived heparin (most commonly used blood thinner) in the US and Europe. Our lab and offices are located at Planet B.io, Delft and PLNT Leiden. ExCulture was founded in 2022 as a spin-out of TU Delft.

Key responsibilities:
● Assist in preparing microbial cultures, inoculums and growth media according to SoPs.
● Operation and monitoring of bioreactors, fermenters, shaker flasks and other microbial culture systems.
● Report and tackle differences between scales and reactor types.
● Collect and record process data such as pH, temperature, oxygen and nitrogen levels.
● Document experiments clearly and consistently through lab notebooks, batch records and standard operating procedures (SoPs).
● Support cleaning, sterilisation and basic maintenance of lab equipment.
● Collaborate with the R&D team in downstream and analytical tasks for sample collection and coordination.
● Help troubleshoot issues in fermentation runs and suggest optimisation strategies and improvements under guidance.
● Learn startup-relevant skills like flexibility, rapid iteration, and cross-disciplinary teamwork.

Requirements:
● Should be currently enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree in life science & technology, microbiology, biotechnology, biochemical/ bioprocess engineering, or a related field.
● Learner mindset, asking questions and adapting quickly to new protocols.
● Interest in microbial fermentation and bioprocess engineering.
● Basic understanding of microbial culture handling.
● Good documentation habits and attention to detail.
● Must be within commuting distance to Delft to be able to travel to the lab on a daily basis.
● Experience in using Google Workspace or MS Office for data logging and communication.

● Full-time Internship position based in Delft at ExCulture’s lab in Planet B.io for a 6-month period.
● Start date: January 2026
● A competitive stipend/internship allowance.
● Opportunities for practical skills and experience with an insight into integrated upstream-downstream bioprocess development using mixed microbial cultures.
● Collaborative and innovative work environment.
● Regular team-building events.

ExCulture is growing its team! We’re looking for a motivated Lab USP (UpstreamProcessing) Intern to join us in our Delft location, on a full-time internship basis. You will have the opportunity to contribute to our mission to develop an animal-free, next-gen alternative heparin using mixed culture fermentation technology.

Are you excited about microbial fermentation and want to apply your skills in a real-world biotech startup? Do you enjoy working in a collaborative environment where your contributions matter? Then this internship could be a great fit for you!

You need to be legally allowed to work in the Netherlands - we are not able to apply for sponsorship

You should be enrolled in a university in a related line of studies and your project report will be part of your curriculum requiremen. You will be signing a tripartite agreement (UNL) between the University, ExCulture and you, as the intern.