Research And Development Microbiologist

Description:

Located within the Helix Center, this company comes up with solutions for sustainable weed management, reducing herbicide use by a combination of gene editing and synthetic biology. In this platform in St. Louis, they focus on finding resistant traits and gene discovery/mutations. They want to measure resistance to substances as they are introduced to the product. This is a start-up environment that centers on project-based R&D. The role will be sitting here in St. Louis, partnering with another biologist who's more focused on the molecular aspects of the projects (Tina Reudlin). They want to partner with a Microbiologist who will spend 90% of their time in the wet lab. They will be responsible for measuring antibiotic and bacterial resistance- using IC50 assays and aseptic techniques. They will transform the cells and measure IC50 (Half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) is the most widely used and informative measure of a drug's efficacy. It indicates how much drug or other substance is needed to inhibit a biological process by half, thus providing a measure of the potency of an antagonist.) They will move from project to project over time.

• Develop and conduct research experiments related to microbiological and basic molecular biological assays, including registration of raw data and experiment results, following standard operating procedures, quality control procedures, and LIMS systems.
• Strong candidates will have a track record of running experiments relating to microbiological and molecular biological techniques, working in a fast-paced startup environment, and an eagerness to develop their technical skills so they can best interact with our systems.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Responsible for performing both standardized and non-standardized experiment protocols related to antimicrobial and preservative experiments, IC50 assays, general microbiological techniques, and molecular biology techniques.
• Performs analysis of data collected and maintains detailed reports for future reference.
• Verifies the correctness of the data submitted and makes recommendations based on these analyses.
• Solves practical problems relating to difficulties with equipment or experimental techniques.
• Demonstrates creativity and resourcefulness in proactively identifying and proposing solutions to issues that may arise during experiment development.
• Directly interacts with both, on-site and remote company staff, for the furthering of research projects.
• Demonstrates capability to follow LIMS procedure and anticipate supply and reagents needs.

Skills:

• Microbiology, Biology, IC50, aseptic technique, assay, Molecular biology, and PCR

Skills & Qualifications:

• Microbiology industry experience required- at least about a year but ideally 2-5 years
• IC50 assay and experience measuring antibiotic resistance/bacterial resistance required (see definition above)
• Experience with aseptic technique required
• Exposure to molecular bio is also helpful (basic PCR, DNA extractions)
• Open to either crop science or pharmaceutical industry experience - industry experience is important and would trump academic

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I are embedded into our culture through:

• Hiring diverse talent
• Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
• Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
• Ensuring growth opportunities for our people

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.