Scientist III / Senior Scientist – Microbial Ecology

Pivot Bio•Creve Coeur, MO

9d•Onsite

About The Position

Fueled by an innovative drive and a deep understanding of microbiology, genomics, crop nutrition and agriculture, Pivot Bio is pioneering game-changing advances in fertilizer technology. Our first commercial product harnesses the power of naturally-occurring microbes, modern gene editing and application technologies to provide nitrogen to crops. We are dedicated to providing new solutions for farmers to improve yield as they work to help feed the world’s growing population. Read/Hear more about Pivot Bio on Forbes or PBS News Hour. The Microbial Ecologist is an experienced scientific role responsible for advancing the understanding of microbial establishment, persistence, and functional activity in agricultural systems. This position applies leading-edge knowledge of microbial ecology, soil–plant–microbe interactions, and microbiome science to contribute to the development of company concepts, technologies, and biological product strategies. The role bridges laboratory discovery with field validation, generating ecological insights that guide product development, product optimization, and commercialization of biological solutions in crop production systems.

Requirements

Scientist III - Ph.D. in Microbial Ecology, Soil Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Soil Science, or related fields with 4+ years of experience in academia or industry working with microbial ecology or soil microbiology in agricultural systems.
Senior Scientist - Ph.D. in Microbial Ecology, Soil Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Soil Science, or related fields with 8+ years of experience in academia or industry working with microbial ecology or soil microbiology in agricultural systems.
Experience designing and executing field-based ecological experiments.
Proficiency with microbiome sequencing workflows and ecological data analysis tools (R, Python, or similar).
Strong understanding of soil–plant–microbe interactions and microbial establishment processes.
Demonstrated ability to integrate laboratory and field research to support applied product development.
Must be authorized to work in the United States

Responsibilities

Design and lead experiments evaluating microbial colonization, establishment, persistence, and ecological fitness across diverse agricultural environments.
Develop statistically robust sampling strategies for soil, rhizosphere, and root-associated microbiomes to evaluate microbial establishment and product performance.
Integrate laboratory-based mechanistic research with field validation trials to understand drivers of microbial performance and product efficacy.
Oversee microbiome analyses including amplicon sequencing, qPCR, metagenomics, and strain tracking approaches.
Interpret complex ecological and multi-omics datasets to inform product advancement decisions and technology development.
Translate ecological findings into actionable recommendations that inform product development feedback loops and customer-facing best management practices.
Identify knowledge gaps in microbial establishment and soil–plant–microbe interactions and propose innovative research strategies to address them.
Contribute scientific expertise to pipeline strategy through ecological risk assessment, environmental performance evaluation, and establishment modeling.