Strain Engineering Research Associate

About ZymoChem

ZymoChem is re-imagining how to make some of our favorite everyday products without polluting the planet. Motivated by the enormous carbon footprint and vast amount of trash from the fossil-based materials produced by century-old technologies of the ‘traditional’ chemicals industry, ZymoChem’s mission is to create plant-based, hero materials that enable a sustainable future. We are realizing this vision by pioneering low-cost fermentation-based production of chemicals coupled with advanced materials development technologies.

ZymoChem has raised >$18 million to-date that includes funding from premier domestic & international venture capital firms, multiple government awards – most recently two ARPA-E awards – and partnerships with world-leading chemicals companies. Tripling in team size in 2021, we are maintaining our rapid growth and filling multiple roles (www.zymochem.com/careers). We seek candidates who are motivated by science & innovation and have a passion to push the boundaries of materials performance. We are collaborative, multidisciplinary, and relentlessly committed to creating a chemicals & materials industry in tune with the 21st century. If this sounds exciting, we want to hear from you.

The Opportunity

ZymoChem is hiring a Research Associate / RA II / Senior RA to join a rapidly expanding R&D team and help drive the company’s metabolic pathway development and strain optimization efforts. In this fast-paced, technical milestone-oriented role, you will have a breadth of opportunities to acquire diverse experiences & skills with enzyme development, strain characterization, high-throughput automated screening, and design-of-experiments. Additional responsibilities for this role will include building out & expanding the Strain Development Group’s capabilities with state-of-the-art technologies as well as routinely interfacing with other groups such as the Analytics and Fermentation Teams.

Responsibilities

• Design of experiments, execution & optimization of protocols, and collection & processing data with a focus on strain characterization for achieving targeted TRY metrics of small molecule products
• Implement molecular and synthetic biology workflows for the construction of plasmids, strains, and enzymes to facilitate strain characterization and pathway optimization efforts
• Develop and carry out high-throughput microbial cell culture workflows for the routine assessment of new strains
• Assist with in vitro and in vivo enzymatic assays
• Interface with the company’s data management system to record strain and enzyme-based data
• Effectively communicate and collaborate with other R&D groups, including the Molecular Biology, Fermentation, and Analytics Teams
• Manage the streamlined operation of the Strain Development Group by routinely preparing sterile materials, reagents, and media as well as maintaining the group’s chemicals and consumables inventories

Qualifications

• MS or BS in Biochemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Microbiology or a related discipline
• MS (or BS degree with 2+ years post-graduation) research experience in an academic lab and/or industrial research group
• Expertise with bacterial physiology and the execution of microbial cell cultures in the context of biosynthetic pathway development & characterization is strongly preferred; additional experience with other industrially relevant microorganisms is a plus
• Hands on experience with synthetic biology and strain engineering techniques such as PCR, Gibson Assembly, restriction digestion, ligation, and homologous recombination
• Experience with protein expression, purification, and enzymatic assays
• Rigorous attention to details with experimental design, execution, noise/variability, reproducibility, and record keeping
• Keen sense for both physical (lab) and data-oriented organization
• Excellent time management skills, effective with multitasking, and an adept ability to improvise work plans while maintaining efficiency

Benefits

Full-time opportunities at ZymoChem come with:

• Competitive salary
• Benefits package that includes company stock options, 401(k) option, and employee medical, dental, and vision healthcare coverage
• Additional benefits including dependent healthcare coverage, FSA, HSA, commuter, and supplemental life insurance
• Flexible time off policy with 15 days paid vacation days per year and 10 paid company holidays per year

ZymoChem offers full-time employees a competitive base salary, a comprehensive benefits package, and a company culture that’s collaborative, multidisciplinary, and committed to a big vision for positively impacting the world. We seek candidates who are motivated by our mission and are equally passionate toward pushing the boundaries to build a sustainable future.  This position will be based in the Gate 510 technology hub in San Leandro, CA, and ZymoChem may agree to offer relocation assistance for this role. Located in the vibrant East Bay area of San Francisco, Gate 510 is a state-of-the-facility with many in-house and nearby amenities.

If this opportunity sounds exciting and aligns with your career aspirations, we want to hear from you!

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, medical condition, veteran status, or any other class protected by local, state, or federal law. Legal authorization to work in the United States is required. ZymoChem may agree to sponsor an individual for an employment visa immediate or in the future if there is a shortage of individuals with particular skills for this job.  In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States, and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.