Scientist I, Protein Engineering

Alta Resource Technologies•Boulder, CO

18h•Onsite

About The Position

Alta Resource Technologies is seeking a Scientist I in Protein Engineering to join its Applied Biology team in Boulder, Colorado. The role focuses on developing and implementing assays for data-driven protein design campaigns to discover and validate proteins with enhanced binding specificity. The scientist will help build high-throughput screening capabilities and develop assays for ion binding and bioconjugation. The position requires expertise in assays supporting protein discovery workflows involving small-molecule, ion, or metal-binding proteins. The scientist will work with data scientists, strain engineers, analytics, and chemistry teams to create robust, scalable assays. The role is full-time and on-site at Alta’s Boulder laboratory, and may occasionally involve off-hours work. Alta uses protein-based chemistry to extract rare earth elements and other essential materials from challenging feedstocks. Its goal is to reduce the cost and environmental impact of mineral separation and develop new sources of critical minerals.

Requirements

Ph.D. in biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, or a related field, with 1–3+ years of research experience.
Strong hands-on laboratory skills and a record of independently running and troubleshooting experiments.
Expertise developing and optimizing high-throughput biochemical assays and library-scale workflows.
Experience designing and implementing automated workflows.
Experience with assay miniaturization and plate-based formats, including 96- or 384-well formats.
Experience characterizing protein–ligand binding affinity and kinetics, such as in antibody engineering.
Experience analyzing assays to select novel candidate leads.
Deep knowledge of classic and state-of-the-art molecular biology and multiplex, library-scale approaches to directed-evolution campaigns.
Demonstrated knowledge of experimental design, the scientific method, and statistical analysis.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to work across different teams.
Strong organizational and documentation skills.
Must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Experience in protein discovery and directed-evolution campaigns to improve protein characteristics.
Experience with metalloproteins, protein–ion or small-molecule interactions, or bioconjugate biochemistry.
Experience with bioinformatics pipelines and scripting to support data analysis and protein design.
Experience with generative protein design and structural modeling.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute high-throughput protein-characterization assays, including assays for protein quantification, bioconjugation, and binding capacity.
Design and implement microtiter-plate workflows for directed-evolution campaigns.
Develop and onboard novel assays for protein characterization.
Work with scientists to deliver test data rapidly in support of novel protein discovery and subsequent protein design campaigns.
Interpret test and protein-analysis data to guide improvements from one campaign round to the next.
Collaborate with strain engineers to achieve reliable microtiter production.
Maintain excellent documentation practices for protocols and experiments.