Research Associate II - (HTS) Screening

It's a Perfect Day to change the world! At Perfect Day, we're doing just that.
Perfect Day was founded in 2014 to create delicious, nutritious dairy products that everyone can love. We’re using fermentation (not animals) to make dairy proteins that are the foundation for foods like ice cream, cheese and yogurt – all with the distinctive taste and textures that consumers demand, but without lactose or environmental downsides. Through partnerships with respected brands, we’re working to launch a whole range of dairy products that will help shape a humane, sustainable food system for future generations. 
As we work to commercialize our first animal-free dairy protein products and are increasing our capacity in terms of the number of strains engineered and the diversity of proteins produced, we are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Research Associate II to join our Screening team. The Screening team is increasing their capacity by developing new strategies and assays to reliably identify our next generation production strains. We are looking for a talented biochemist/microbiologist who is excited by the challenges of developing state of the art techniques to improve our screening platforms. The ideal candidate will have strong interpersonal skills and be driven to do what it takes to contribute to a small cross-functional team in a fast paced, collaborative, start-up environment. Your role will include optimization of microbial multi well plate cultivation's to match performances in bioreactors (plate model development) as well as detection, quantification and characterization of various target proteins for quality assurance. This includes applying existing standard operation procedures as well as performing proof of concept experiments and process optimization. In this role you will develop and improve biochemical assays (SDS-PAGE, native PAGE, microplate assays etc.) to detect various target proteins and characterize enzymatic activities. The ideal candidate is flexible, can think outside the box and is passionate about developing, applying and optimizing state of the art protein detection assays. Prior experience in microplate and PAGE based protein assays is required. A basic understanding of flow cytometry is desirable.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

• Optimize conditions for growing fungal strains in multiwell plates to match performance in bioreactors
• Identify best performing strains in micro titer plate format
• Develop and/or optimize protein detection assays in high throughput manner (SDS-PAGE, microplate assays)
• Screen for enzymatic activities (native PAGE, microplate assays)
• Write standard operating procedures (SOP) for new methods.
• Data analysis, statistical analysis, and data reporting.
• Work in a team, being proactive in your work, seeking opportunities to build your understanding, and contributing to a collegial environment.
• Maintain timely and thorough documentation of work.
• Maintain a high degree of accuracy and meticulous attention to detail.

REQUIREMENTS

• B.S. in microbiology, biochemistry, or related field with 2+ years of protein assay related experience.
• Candidate must possess a high level of technical aptitude, excellent communication, organization, and collaborative skills, and demonstrated ability to innovate, troubleshoot, and thrive in a dynamic cross-functional team environment.
• Experience with bioanalytical assays including PAGE, Western Blot, ELISA and microplate assays.
• Experience with handling and cultivation of microbial organisms ideally including filamentous fungi.
• Ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment.
• Maintain a high degree of accuracy and meticulous attention to detail.
• Capable of high performance in independent work and in team setting.
• Strong desire to work in multi-disciplinary teams, learn new skills and proactively solve problems.

Additional skills desired, but not required

• Experience with Flow Cytometry is desirable.
• Experience with Python, R, or other programming language is desirable.
• Experience with JMP or other statistical software is desirable.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Position is located in a mix of typical laboratory, workshop and kitchen environments, and requires a tolerance for high worker traffic, close quarters, noise, odors, dust, and varying room temperatures and lighting.

It's a Perfect Day to change the world. The day when delicious dairy goodness is something everyone can love. The day we say goodbye to the downsides of factory farming. The day we throw a big party with luscious, animal-free milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, all made with Perfect Day! We hope you join us!