Fermentation Research Associate II/III

Aralez Bio•Berkeley, CA

3d•$70,000 - $85,000•Onsite

About The Position

We envision a world where we continuously, sustainably, and affordably improve human life with synthetic biology. Our proprietary set of enzymes and our manufacturing approach enables the production of thousands of amino acids that were previously too difficult and expensive to make. These “noncanonical” amino acids that we make are already catalyzing the creation of revolutionary and innovative products that are good for people and the planet. Our technology outperforms traditional manufacturing approaches by 10–100x across the board. We already sell products to Big 10 Pharmaceutical companies, and our product family includes the key components of multi-billion dollar blockbuster drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro. We are a diverse, passionate, interdisciplinary team that finds joy in building something new that leaves the world better than we found it. We strive to always learn and improve and have a deep desire to capitalize on our creativity and be exceptional at what we do. About the role The Fermentation and Enzyme production team is responsible for fermentation process development, screening new enzymes, preparing our processes for scale up and producing enzymes up to pilot scales. As a Fermentation Research Associate, you will work with a senior scientist to execute enzyme production fermentations at the 2L and 10L scales and have the opportunity to assist with pilot scale production up to 500L scale fermentations including learning DSP unit operations. This is a full-time onsite role. We're located in Berkeley, CA. We are only able to consider candidates local to the area.

Requirements

Hands-on laboratory experience in a microbiology or bioprocess setting.
Fundamental understanding of aseptic technique and microbial fermentation.
Experience with bioreactor assembly and operation (bench scale).
Strong organizational skills for tracking samples, inventory, and data.
Reliable and Proactive: You are a go-getter willing to jump right into manual tasks and support the team where needed.
Detail-Oriented: You take pride in meticulous record-keeping and precise technical execution.
Adaptive: You are comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment and shifting between different tasks and scales.
BS with 1-4 years of industry experience or MS with 0-1 years of experience in Bioengineering, Microbiology, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.

Nice To Haves

Operation of DasGip or similar parallel bioreactor systems.
Pilot-scale USP/DSP operations.

Responsibilities

Support Bench-Scale Operations: Assist with building tanks and running fermentations to maintain high-cadence enzyme production.
Sampling & Analysis: Take and analyze samples throughout fermentation runs to optimize processes and ensure process control.
Cell Banking: Make and maintain high-quality cell banks for production.
Inventory Management: Track inventory including cell pellets, cell banks, consumables, and raw materials to ensure uninterrupted operations.
Procurement: Manage the ordering of fermentation raw materials and supplies.
Cross-Functional Support: Assist upstream and downstream processing at the pilot scale as needed.
Equipment Maintenance: Assist with routine equipment maintenance and troubleshooting to increase operational robustness.