Wild Microbes is a synthetic biology startup building a new future for biological manufacturing. We have some wild ideas. Our focus in on developing the next generation of microbial hosts that allow everything from small molecules to lipids to proteins to be made productively with biology. We are helping to spur a transition away from petrochemicals and toward a future in which foods, chemicals, and materials are produced as a part of a circular, biologically based supply chain. To help usher in this new world, we are developing the next generation of microbial hosts that will undergird the transition to alternative fermentation processes and novel production paradigms. This next generation of microbial hosts will not look like the last generation – its ranks will be replete with wild strains. We do all of this by leveraging a deep expertise in strain domestication, high-throughput screening and assay development, and cutting-edge microbial engineering technologies.
This search is for a research associate to work with the strain engineering team, supporting strain development efforts across multiple product areas. You will engineer in dozens of strains, building large, diverse strain libraries and helping to scale fermentation processes. At the same time, you will have direct exposure to technical teams working on everything from novel strain isolations to developing new genetic tools and screening for promising new hosts. This is an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a core engineering team at a fast-paced startup, and in the process to gain exposure to cutting edge microbial engineering methods and to take ownership of challenging and impactful work.
Role:
- Engineer newly-domesticated strains to maximize their performance against a variety of target metrics.
- Evolve strains for high fitness in conditions relevant to the desired industrial bioprocess.
- Design and execute screens and implement them across dozens of microbial species in a high-throughput experimental workflow.
- Execute high-throughput engineering strategies and manage an NGS workflow.
- Contribute to key projects and ensure completion of core company milestones.
Qualifications:
- B.S. in molecular biology, microbiology, biotechnology, or other related field.
- 2+ years experience working in synbio or biotech lab.
- Academic or industry background in syn bio, bioengineering, or other comparable field.
- Able to work full-time in the US.
Bonus Qualifications:
- Proficiency with Python, Unix, or other programming languages.
- Knowledge or experience in fermentation engineering.
Start Date: October 2023