Solugen

14549 Minetta St., Houston TX 77035 

POSITION

Research Scientist (Scientist I) - Strain Development

ABOUT SOLUGEN

With innovation and the commitment to lowering carbon footprint, Solugen Inc. is commercializing a chemo-enzymatic process to manufacture value-added chemicals from biobased feedstocks for a variety of uses and applications. Solugen was founded in 2016 and is a venture-backed startup company located in Houston, TX. Solugen is scaling up its manufacturing process on 5 acres of manufacturing space with a 65,000 square foot facility containing 10,000 square feet of office and lab space. Solugen currently has 100+ full time employees.

MISSION

Solugen's mission is to decarbonize chemicals manufacturing. As a first step, Solugen built its first 10,000 tons per year commercial plant with potential to offset 37,000 tons per year of carbon dioxide equivalents. This role will directly support Solugen's mission by continuously improving our ability to scale enzyme production to support our core platform. The individual will report to the Head of Strain Engineering and assist with experiments and analysis to support the Solugen's future R&D, production, and revenue goals.

This role will be involved with genetically engineering and screening Solugen's production hosts to maximize their performance. As the production strains continuously improve, the quality of Solugen's products and our cost to manufacture improve. This is a hands-on role where the individual's initiative, laboratory prowess, and energy will make a substantial impact on the company.

KEY OUTCOMES

• • Within 6 months, establish and run an automated microtiter plate-based screening platform for heterologous protein expression with acceptable low variability that can be integrated into a LIMS.
• • Independently perform plasmid builds and genetic manipulations of yeast and filamentous fungi.
• • Visualize data analysis and deliver results on a timely manner.
• • Assists in experimental design geared towards strain improvement strategies and screening.

KEY COMPETENCIES

JOB SPECIFIC:

• • Bachelor's or master's degree in Biology, or related field with a focus on genetic engineering of eukaryotic microorganisms or heterologous protein expression
• • Familiarity with high-throughput plasmid & strain building, automated screening platforms and LIMS integration (knowledge of SQL and Python desirable).
• • Excellent knowledge of molecular biology techniques (DNA-, RNA-, protein-extractions, PCR, cloning, SDS-PAGE, Western blotting)
• • Impeccable sterile technique, and passion to handle a variety of pro- and eukaryotic microorganisms
• • Familiarity with relevant software to support biological laboratory work (Microsoft Office, Geneious Prime, Benchling)
• • Must be able to prioritize and self-organize with a mind set to succeed
• • Good communicator with excellent verbal and writing skills

COMPANY SPECIFIC:

• • Curiosity and willingness to learn and ask a lot of questions
• • Being nimble, embracing the speed of startup culture
• • Passionate for green chemistry and fighting climate change
• • Emphasis on safety
• • Respect for others

QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's or master's degree in Biology, or related field with a focus on genetic engineering of eukaryotic microorganisms or heterologous protein expression