Senior Scientist, Gut Microbiome and Healthy Longevity

About the role

SIFBI, a research institute under A*STAR, studies how nutrition, the gut ecosystem and host biology interact to shape health, resilience and healthy longevity. It is looking for a scientist to set up and lead an independent research programme at the intersection of nutrition, gut biology and healthy longevity, in a collaborative, interdisciplinary setting with access to clinical partners, population cohorts, advanced microbiome technologies and physiologically relevant model systems.

Key responsibilities

• Establish and lead an independent research programme on healthy longevity, nutrition and gut health.
• Secure competitive research funding.
• Design and lead translational research combining mechanistic, preclinical and computational approaches to map biological pathways linking nutrition, the gut and host physiology to health-span outcomes.
• Translate discoveries into deployable nutrition, microbiome and biologically informed interventions.
• Work with a multidisciplinary team of research staff, postdoctoral fellows and students.
• Publish in leading peer-reviewed journals and present at major international conferences.
• Build collaborations with academic, clinical and industry partners locally and internationally.
• Contribute to scientific leadership, capability development and strategy within SIFBI and A*STAR.

Required profile

• PhD in microbiology, microbiome science, biochemistry, computational biology or a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in gut ecosystem biology, including host-microbe and diet-microbe interactions, with experience turning mechanistic insights into testable hypotheses and interventions.
• Post-PhD research experience in academia, industry or both, with a strong publication record including first-author papers in high-impact journals.
• Track record of securing competitive research funding or clear evidence of the ability to do so.

Good-to-have

• Experience in AI, machine learning or computational modelling, or integrating computational and experimental approaches such as metagenomics and multi-omics.
• Nutrition science, nutritional physiology or bioactive ingredient research, including development or evaluation of dietary, nutritional or microbiome-based interventions.
• Experience with physiologically relevant gut models.
• Early-life, ageing or life-course research, or industry work on nutrition and food innovation.