Sr. Fermentation Scientist

over 2 years ago
Full time role
Boston, MA, US... more
Boston, MA, US... more

Job Description

Indigo is a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet. With a vision of creating a world where farming is an economically desirable and accessible profession, Indigo works alongside its growers to apply natural approaches, conserve resources for future generations, and grow healthy food for all. Indigo’s Biological Products, Marketplace, and Carbon offerings improve grower profitability, environmental sustainability, and consumer health. Indigo Marketplace is a platform connecting growers with a network of buyers to secure optimal prices for their crops and offers hands-on control of a grower’s business through a range of pricing tools, real-time national bid discovery, and automated grain sales. Indigo Carbon, is a platform paying growers for increases in soil carbon content and decreases in greenhouse gas emissions. It helps growers realize additional revenue, healthier soils, and a more resilient farm by participation in a market of high-quality carbon credits – supported by rigorous quantification standards. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA, with additional offices in Memphis, TN, Research Triangle Park, NC, Basel, Switzerland, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and São Paulo, Brazil.

Indigo’s Biological Products organization develops products based upon our deep understanding of the plant microbiome. The company has commercialized such products for cotton, wheat, barley, corn, soybeans, and rice in North America, Latin America, and Europe under the biotrinsic™ brand. Our R&D and product development teams are working to continue to develop products that address the growing number of abiotic and biotic stresses that crops experience worldwide

Responsibilities:

  • Scientific team lead for Indigo’s fungal organism development, and cross-functional support of all fermentation process and product developement
  • Design (DoE) and lead execution of process development for characterization of microbial cultures and production parameters
  • Work collaboratively between bioprocessing, formulations, QC/QA and external partners
  • Validation of scaling processes and technology transfer of protocols (TTPs) for production of commercial products at CMOs
  • Develop acute understanding of biological kinetics and limitations for novel processes
  • Provide critical feed-back on experimental progress to Senior Leadership and providing timely recommendations for advancing Indigo's technology
  • Production of microorganisms for deployment into trials and commercial support
  • Document experimental protocols, results, and proposals for optimization with high level of detail and clarity
  • Provide projected COGs for scaling of new processes
  • Assist in developing reliable quantitative assays related to microbial growth and downstream processes

Competencies:

  • Advanced oral and written communication skills
  • Ability to interact and influence at all levels of the organization
  • Strong organization skills and a commitment to documentation and record keeping
  • Safety oriented – ability to identify risks and propose mitigation strategies
  • Cost conscious and able to provide cost estimates on facility and process improvements
  • Possesses a strong willingness to work hard to get the job done. Has a track record of delivering on ambitious goals
  • Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability: copes effectively with change and is comfortable with ambiguity
  • Proactive: acts without being told what to do and brings new ideas to the company
  • Appropriate balance of confidence and humility. Ability to accept constructive feedback and possesses a desire to continuously improve
  • “Hands on” style of leadership
  • Service-oriented/ able to work collaboratively with internal and external partners
  • Curious, innovative, outside of the box thinker

Qualifications:

  • PhD in biochemistry, microbiology, or (bio-)chemical engineering preferred, or M.S. degree with >4yrs of industry experience with microbial fermentation
  • Expertise in DoE, optimization, data analysis, and presentation - JMP experience preferred
  • Expertise in fermentation, emphasis on solid state fermentation and scaling
  • Experience with downstream processing techniques (e.g. milling, filtration) is an asset
  • Managerial experience strongly preferred

Indigo is committed to living our values, specifically “creating a work environment where everyone feels respected, connected, and has opportunities to learn and grow.” As part of living our values, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive work environment where everyone feels they can be themselves and has an equal opportunity of succeeding.

Similar jobs