SwiftScale Biologics uses our cell-free protein synthesis platform to enable (1) fast protein therapeutic development through to clinical batches and (2) synthesis of proteins that are very difficult to express in cells. Our mission is to use our platform technology to enable our partners to advance dozens of novel therapeutics to the clinic.

In this position, you will drive the development and optimization of harvesting, lysis, and purification of DNA and protein from cell-free and bacterial fermentations at various scales from mL to 300 L. Your work will (1) accelerate research and preclinical stage pharmaceutical programs by providing preparative amounts of proteins for screening and characterization and (2) improve our platform to make a wider variety of proteins and scale-up the cell-free protein synthesis process from the bench scale to GMP clinical batches.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop, optimize, and execute protein and DNA purification methods at scales from high-throughput screens to AKTA Explorer/AKTA Pilot.
• Develop purification strategies for protein and DNA using various chromatographic techniques including but not limited to affinity, SEC, IEX, RP-HPLC, and HIC.
• Characterize protein and bacterial lysates by developing and executing UPLC, SDS-PAGE, ELISA, and/or other methods.
• Optimize purification unit operations: pack and operate DNA/protein purification equipment as well as clarification and filtration processes using GMP compatible processes.
• Develop and optimize methods for buffer exchange, filtration, and separations using tangential flow filtration, depth filtration systems, and centrifugation.
• Author IQ/OQ's and SOPs to commission and operate new equipment used for purification.
• Interpret and present experimental data to teammates, different groups, and company leadership to meet key objectives.
• Work as part of a team in a collaborative environment to accomplish the company's downstream goals.

QUALIFICATIONS

• [Required] BS (+8 years experience), related MS (+6 years experience) or PhD (+4 years experience) in Bioengineering, Biochemistry, Synthetic Biology, Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Chemical Engineering, or related fields.
• [Required] 5+ years experience in production, purification, and characterization of proteins and/or DNA at research scale (0.5-1.5mg) and medium scale (100-1000mg).
• [Required] Experience in purification on the AKTA platform.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced small company environment with a drive to creatively solve problems around how to speed up protein therapeutic development and experimental workflows.
• Ability to learn and incorporate new techniques and technologies into purification strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and present experimental data to scientific, engineering, and leadership teams. 
• Availability to work full-time hours at our Oakland, CA location.
• High intrinsic motivation and a desire to learn new techniques.

Our work environment is focused on treating everyone on our team with respect, fostering a collaborative environment, taking ownership of our work, learning new skills, and having fun.

We offer growth opportunities and competitive salaries/benefits.