Automated Strain Engineering Research Associate I

Automated Strain Engineering Research Associate I

Location: Brisbane, CA

Employment Type: Full-time, on-site

About the Role

Recombia Biosciences is seeking a talented Automated Strain Engineering Research Associate I to join our dynamic team. This is an excellent opportunity for a junior professional who is passionate about engineering microbes using cutting-edge automation.

As an Automated Strain Engineering Research Associate I, you will be a key member of our Automated Strain Engineering team. In this role, you will leverage automated equipment to build plasmids and engineer microbial strains in a high-throughput manner. You will collaborate with scientists, engineers, and other research associates to execute experimental workflows, analyze data, and communicate progress to internal stakeholders. This position offers the chance to make a direct impact on the development of novel biobased products and processes.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate will have experience in molecular cloning and microbial strain engineering and sequencing. They should be knowledgeable about building plasmids, troubleshooting cloning, generating microbial strains, and preparing genomes for sequencing. A strong background in operating automated laboratory equipment, such as liquid handlers, is also essential.

To thrive in this role, the candidate will need to demonstrate a positive, problem-solving attitude, strong analytical thinking, excellent communication skills, and meticulous attention to detail. The ability to work collaboratively in a dynamic, fast-paced environment is key.

If you are passionate about using your talents to drive innovation in sustainable biotechnology, we want to hear from you!

Key Responsibilities:

• Execute automated molecular cloning and strain engineering workflows as part of the Recombia Automated Strain Engineering team
• Build plasmids via molecular cloning techniques including DNA design, assembly, purification, and sequencing verification
• Design and introduce genetic modifications to industrial yeast strains and/or bacterial strains using classical and high-throughput methodologies
• Prepare samples for sequencing, using both short-read and long-read NGS technologies
• Operate automation equipment (liquid handlers) to execute protocols
• Analyze the results from your experiments using Excel and custom scripts (python, R)
• Work closely with scientists, engineers, and other research associates to execute and troubleshoot your processes
• Complete tasks efficiently, independently, and within stated deadlines
• Communicate the status of your progress to team members, collaborators, and upper management

About the Company

Our Vision: We are the leading edge of Lesaffre Bioengineering and, working together, in an ever- changing world, with the rest of the Lesaffre Group and our partners to better nourish and protect the planet.

Our Mission: Together with the Lesaffre Bioengineering and Biofoundry teams, we blend biology, engineering, automation, informatics to improve organism engineering, screening, selection and scale-up for a wide portfolio of precision fermentation and biomass production applications.

Our Scope: We engineer, screen, select yeast and bacteria for industrial biotechnology applications including baking, brewing, bioethanol, flavors and fragrances, food and feed, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals to serve Lesaffre business.

Our Organization: Recombia Biosciences is a metabolic engineering company and part of the Lesaffre Group since 2022. Lesaffre is a 170-year-old French multinational company with 77 production sites, 13 R&D sites, 63 applied technology labs, 77 production plants distributed in 50 countries, 11000+ employees from 96 different nationalities. Recombia Biosciences is currently organized in two US campuses: one south of San Francisco, in Brisbane, CA and a second one in the Greater Boston area, in Bedford, MA. Recombia operates as the metabolic engineering and advanced genome editing foundry of the Lesaffre Bioengineering Center of Excellence and Biofoundry labs located at the Lesaffre International campus in Marcq-en-Barul, Northern France. The teams are organized in a matrix structure, and the bioengineering operations follow a global distributed Biofoundry model, creating a highly collaborative and international environment.

Pay Range: $70K-$80K

What We Offer

• Opportunity to join a passionate organization focused on innovation and sustainability
• Competitive compensation, 401(k) employer match, medical benefits (health, dental, vision plans), and paid time off
• Continuous growth and development opportunities
• Collaborative, supportive work environment where you can make a real impact and bring products to market

Required Qualifications:

• B.S. in Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Genetics, or related field
• 1+ years of industry experience (especially in microbial synthetic biology or metabolic engineering)
• Experience with plasmid cloning workflows, such as GoldenGate/Type IIS, Gibson Assembly, and restriction enzymes
• Familiarity with designing primers and plasmids for assembly, amplifying DNA with PCR, preparing plasmid and genomic DNA for sequencing, and interpreting sequencing results
• Experience with genetic or genome engineering of microorganisms, such as E. coli and S. cerevisiae
• Experience operating automated laboratory equipment, such as liquid handlers or integrated systems
• Basic programming and data analysis (Python, R)
• Ability to use both technical and interpersonal skills to solve problems

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with Benchling as an electronic lab notebook and information management system
• Passion for microbial synthetic biology and a desire to learn more about the science of strain engineering

Recombia Biosciences provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.