LAB Internship: Oxygen Tolerance

Are you an HBO student who is interested in microbiology and working with anaerobic bacteria? Starting in September 2026, Winclove Probiotics offers an exciting internship project within the R&D department in Amsterdam-North. Winclove lab overviewWinclove lab overview Your role Winclove Probiotics develops and produces high-quality probiotic food supplements in powder form. To create effective probiotics, we continuously invest in research and technology. This includes developing a clear and reliable way to test the extent to which gut bacteria can tolerate oxygen. This knowledge helps us understand the needs of different bacterial strains and adapt their cultivation conditions more effectively. You will perform growth experiments with several new bacterial strains, as well as control strains with already known oxygen tolerance. You will test different growth media and compare several cultivation conditions. Step by step, you will use your results to develop a standardised oxygen tolerance assay that can be used for new strains entering the R&D pipeline. You will also search for relevant scientific literature, select useful information, and translate this into a practical experimental approach. The project will involve cultivating bacterial strains on agar plates and in broth using microtiter plates and dilution series. You will apply each tested oxygen percentage directly after inoculation and then compare culture growth after 48 hours. To determine bacterial viability, you will use traditional enumeration methods, such as CFU/mL determination for agar plates and optical density (OD) measurements for liquid cultures. This will give you hands-on experience with techniques that are commonly used in microbiological research. In addition, you will investigate whether bacterial growth is affected differently by two types of oxygen exposure: constant oxygen presence during growth, or a short exposure to oxygen followed by anaerobic cultivation. To answer this question, you will measure the effects of incubating cultures aerobically for different time intervals. By the end of the project, your work will help improve our understanding of oxygen sensitivity in gut bacteria and support the future development of robust probiotic strains. What do we ask of you? • Enthusiastic HBO student Biology and Medical Laboratory Research/Life Sciences/Microbiology/Other relevant fields (MSc students will not be taken into consideration). • Practical experience in microbiology/working with microorganisms. • Interest in probiotics, microbiome research, or industrial biotechnology is a strong plus. • Good to excellent English speaking and writing skills, Dutch is a plus. • Currently residing in the Netherlands. • Availability to work on the assignment for 9 months. What do we offer you At Winclove Probiotics, you can truly make a difference. Our mission is to be the best company for the world. Our colleagues trust each other and take pride in what they do, making us a Great Place to Work! We initiate and support many social projects in Amsterdam-North and are B Corp certified. We strive to protect our planet, aim for greater inclusivity, and contribute to a sustainable economy. Additionally, we offer: • A varied role in an open, socially engaged organisation with short lines of communication and an informal atmosphere. • An internship allowance of €500 per month. • Access to the Vitamin W vitality program. Are you interested? Do you recognise yourself in the above profile and are you enthusiastic about doing an internship at Winclove? Then send your resume and motivation to Zuzanna Stępień .