Scientist, Biology
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Amyris is seeking a scientist skilled in the practice of microbial engineering and steeped in the study of metabolic pathways, strain physiology, regulatory networks, or enzymology. We engineer custom microbes that transform renewable, plant-based sugars into pure high-value molecules through our own industrial-scale fermentation processes. Our technology provides a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical manufacturing and delivers products that directly benefit millions of lives.
Small teams of 3-10 biologists work with colleagues in automation, screening, analytics, and fermentation to design robust and broad experiments that maximize the rate of scientific progress and get molecules to manufacturing fast. Amyris has scaled and produced 13 molecules over the past 10 years and we’re staffing up to deliver 10 more by 2025. We’re also looking for the right people to help us rethink and modernize the infrastructure that makes our science go. Our track record of repeated product delivery, a supportive intellectual culture, and an extraordinary peer group differentiate Amyris from other companies in the sector.
Because research at Amyris is driven by synergistic collaboration between life sciences and engineering disciplines, we seek candidates with demonstrated success in collaborative, team-oriented environments. We seek new teammates who are passionate about the Amyris mission. We’re looking for biologists who will master one of the world’s most advanced high-throughput automated strain engineering and testing platforms and help us make it better.
Responsibilities:
Design, build, and test microbial strains and enzymes to improve strain performance in industrial fermentations, by utilizing state-of-the-art metabolic engineering approaches.
Explore and implement new, cutting-edge techniques and technologies to improve the Amyris Strain Engineering pipeline.
Generate new hypotheses by mining scientific literature and in-house data and models.
Design and execute experiments that identify or remove barriers to increased strain performance.
Employ rational (hypothesis-based) and random (evolutionary or combinatorial) approaches to improve strains.
Collaborate with researchers in automated strain engineering, high-throughput screening, analytical chemistry, bioinformatics, fermentation, and process development groups to achieve project milestones.
Analyze diverse data streams via standard statistical analyses, modeling, and collaboration with data scientists to deepen human and machine learning from large datasets.
Manage and coordinate complex experimental schedules and prioritize tasks within a broader team.
Communicate plans, rationales, results, and conclusions to diverse audiences, both verbally and in writing.
Maintain safe practices and a safe work environment.
Mentor, train, and possibly manage more junior scientists.
Basic Qualifications:
Applicants must have a Ph.D. (or 5+ years industrial experience with 2+ years at the scientist level) in (bio)chemical engineering, biochemistry, genetics, metabolic engineering, microbiology, molecular biology, industrial biotechnology, natural products chemistry, or a related field.
Experience with scientific work in cross-disciplinary teams.
Experience with molecular biology techniques including PCR, DNA assembly, genome engineering, plasmid construction, DNA sequence analysis, nuclease-triggered DNA. recombination, and microbial transformation (in bacteria, yeasts, or filamentous fungi).
Training in statistical analysis and data visualization (e.g. Minitab, R, Spotfire, JMP, Python).
Preferred Qualifications:
A proven track record of introducing and optimizing new metabolic pathways into a microbial host organism and/or interrogating and quantifying metabolic activity in microbes.
Previous experience in the field of microbial genome engineering and synthetic biology.
Experience and competency in several of the following areas:
Cellular processes involved in small molecule production, including redox balance, energetics, product transport, growth rate dependencies, fermentation conditions, overflow metabolism, etc.
Construction and analysis of models of quantitative cellular physiology and metabolism of microbes or plants.
Small-scale fermentation processes and principles.
Gene discovery for enzymatic reactions via sequence diversity searches and testing.
Design and analysis of metabolomics, proteomics, or transcriptomics experiments.
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We hold deep regard in the power of representation and cultivation of a diverse work environment. Join us at Amyris, where you can find a sense of belonging and know that your voice is centered.
At Amyris, we believe that diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is essential to our core values. We embrace and encourage an equity-minded work culture, knowing that it is the driving force of innovation that positively impacts our employees, consumers, and communities. And for Amyris, a sense of belonging is what drives our mission forward and is the foundation of everything we do, ensuring a healthier, more sustainable future for us all. Make Good, No Compromise.
Amyris (Nasdaq: AMRS) is a leading synthetic biotechnology company, transitioning the Clean Health & Beauty and Flavors & Fragrances markets to sustainable ingredients through fermentation and the company's proprietary Lab-to-Market™ technology platform. This Amyris platform leverages state-of-the-art machine learning, robotics and artificial intelligence, enabling the company to rapidly bring new innovation to market at commercial scale. Amyris ingredients are included in over 20,000 products from the world's top brands, reaching more than 300 million consumers. Amyris also owns and operates a family of consumer brands that is constantly evolving to meet the growing demand for sustainable, effective and accessible products. For more information, please visit http://www.amyris.com.
Amyris, the Amyris logo, No Compromise, Biossance, JVN, Pipette, Purecane, Rose Inc. and Lab-to-Market, Terasana are trademarks or registered trademarks of Amyris, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
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