Scientist - Enzyme Engineering

Twist Bioscience•South San Francisco, CA

21h

About The Position

We are seeking a highly motivated and technically proficient Scientist / Senior Scientist to join our Enzyme Engineering team. In this role, you will play a critical part in the discovery, engineering, and optimization of enzymes that power next-generation genomic and molecular biology products. You will apply deep expertise in protein biochemistry, molecular biology, and assay development to generate high-quality data, guide product decisions, and translate enzyme innovations into robust, scalable solutions. This position offers the opportunity to work on core, enabling enzyme technologies with direct impact on commercial products, while collaborating closely with cross-functional partners across R&D, Product Development, and Operations. Job title and compensation will be determined based on several factors, including but not limited to the candidate's years of experience, individual skills, knowledge, and abilities.

Requirements

Ph.D. or a M.S with 5+ years of experience in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry or closely-related fields. Relevant post-doctoral or industrial experience is preferred
Strong foundation in molecular biology and protein biochemistry, including recombinant protein expression, purification, and characterization.
Demonstrated experience designing and executing enzyme assays and interpreting enzyme performance data.
Hands-on experience with techniques such as cloning, mutagenesis, protein expression (bacterial and/or eukaryotic), protein purification, and enzymatic activity assays.
Ability to analyze experimental data using computational tools (e.g., Python, R, Excel, GraphPad, or equivalent) and present results clearly.
Strong knowledge and expertise in genomic sciences
Ability to draw conclusions, formulate hypotheses and determine next steps based on collected data to solve novel problems.
Dynamic interpersonal skills. Respectful and open to others’ views; contribute to building a positive team spirit.
Self-motivated, willing to learn and be up-to-date on current scientific literature or new research developments
Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with occasional exploratory research projects that provide better understanding of an existing problem

Nice To Haves

Experience engineering enzymes used in genomics or molecular biology workflows (e.g., polymerases, ligases, nucleases, reverse transcriptases).
Familiarity with directed evolution workflows and library screening at scale.
Experience integrating enzymes into complex, multi-step biochemical workflows.
Exposure to automation or high-throughput experimentation platforms.
Experience supporting enzyme transfer to manufacturing or scale-up environments.
Familiarity with quality systems, reproducibility requirements, or regulated product development environments.

Responsibilities

Enzyme Discovery & Engineering: Design and execute enzyme discovery and engineering campaigns (e.g., rational design, directed evolution, structure-guided mutagenesis) to improve enzyme activity, specificity, stability, and robustness for molecular biology applications.
Generate and evaluate enzyme variant libraries using high-throughput or medium-throughput screening and selection strategies.
Assay Development & Optimization: Develop, optimize, and validate biochemical and functional assays to characterize enzyme performance, including kinetic behavior, substrate specificity, fidelity, and tolerance to reaction conditions and inhibitors.
Establish screening assays that are predictive of real-world performance in downstream workflows.
Product Application Focused Characterization: Evaluate enzyme performance within applied workflows (e.g., PCR, ligation, fragmentation, end repair, deamination, reverse transcription, or other enzymatic reactions relevant to genomics and synthetic biology).
Translate enzyme-level improvements into measurable gains at the workflow and product level.
Data Analysis & Interpretation Analyze and interpret enzyme and screening data using appropriate statistical and computational tools.
Visualize complex datasets to clearly communicate performance trends, tradeoffs, and engineering decisions.Cross Functional Collaboration & Technical Leadership
Partner closely with Applications, Product Development, Manufacturing, and Quality teams to ensure enzymes are scalable, reproducible, and fit-for-purpose. Provide technical input into enzyme specifications, release criteria, and product design decisions.
Documentation & Knowledge Transfer: Rigorously document experimental designs, protocols, results and conclusions to ensure reproducibility and effective knowledge transfer.
Contribute to internal technical reports, invention disclosures, patents, and external-facing scientific collateral as needed
New Technology Evaluation: Assess emerging tools and methodologies in protein engineering ( AI/ML-guided design, structure prediction, high-throughput screening technology) and integrate them where impactful