Sr Scientist - Protein Engineering

 Solugen

Houston, TX 77035

Position

Sr. Scientist – Protein Engineering

Mission

Solugen’s mission is to decarbonize chemicals manufacturing. As a first step, Solugen built a 10,000 tpy commercial plant with the potential to offset up to 37,000 tpy of carbon dioxide equivalents. This role will directly support Solugen’s mission by continuously improving Solugen’s core catalytic platform. As the activity, selectivity, stability, and manufacturing cost of Solugen’s core catalytic platform continuously improves, the quality of Solugen’s products and our cost to manufacture improve.

Key Outcomes

Research

1. Assist Enzymology Machine Learning team in designing, executing, and delivering results of protein engineering experiments.
2. Maintain a safe and orderly laboratory in compliance with all safety policies and practices. 
3. Support efforts in conducting protein engineering experiments, including library construction, HTP growth and expression of protein libraries, and protein purification. 
4. Initiate and monitor benchtop experiments under the direction of the Principal and Senior Scientists in the Enzymology team.
5. Execute laboratory tasks related to protein engineering and perform supporting activities. 
6. Perform routine lab tasks, including media and buffer preparation, sterilizing glassware, and ordering and stocking lab consumables in designated areas.
7. Participate in lab organization, housekeeping, and instrument maintenance.

Key Competencies

Job Specific

• Attention to detail and organization.
• Ability to exercise common molecular biology techniques including microbial cell culture, sterile field technique, isolation of nucleic acids, polymerase chain reaction, cloning, restriction digests, nucleic acid and protein gel electrophoresis, centrifugation, autoclaving, and pipetting.
• Willingness to self-learn a broad range of new technical skills.
• Ability to exercise protein engineering techniques such as protein purification, mutagenesis, high-throughput liquid handling, screening assay development, macromolecule visualization (PyMol, VMD, etc.), and data analysis.
• Ability to run fermentation experiments for protein production in deep well plates and shake flasks.
• Ability to generate reports and visualize data in an organized, timely, quantitative, and thorough manner.
• Good communication, negotiation, leadership, and project management skills with the desire to further develop these skills as the company grows.
• Comfortable following safety protocols and wearing personal protective equipment—including laboratory coats, eye protection, and close toed shoes --in work zones.
• Good familiarity with Office products as well as a general level of comfort with online communication and work management platforms such as Dropbox, Google Doc, and Slack.
• Analytical approach to problem solving, with a focus on managing a team environment with attention to results and a sense of urgency.

Company Specific

• Be nimble, embrace the speed and ambiguity of startup culture.
• A passion for green chemistry and fighting climate change.
• Ability to self-manage and set your own priorities and schedule.
• Be comfortable working in multiple roles.
• Emphasize safety above all else.
• Respect for others.
• Creative problem solving.
• Willingness to learn and research new engineering/science concepts.

Qualifications

• BS, MS, or two years of work experience in molecular biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, or related field. 
• Full-time relocation to Houston

Solugen is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other legally protected status.