Scientist, Protein Biochemist

A Bit About Us: 

We are Arcadia Science. Arcadia is a science company founded and led by scientists. Our mission is to transform evolutionary innovations into real-world solutions by openly developing more efficient, replicable, and sustainable ways to leverage the biology of diverse organisms. We expect scientists at Arcadia to openly publish their research in written form as clearly and expediently as possible to accelerate feedback and progress.

The Opportunity:

Arcadia is a combined platform company and biotech start-up incubator. The engineering group within Arcadia creatively and iteratively implements scientific tools to solve biological research problems, with a particular focus on developing user-friendly, scalable solutions for the most critical and widely-used research tools in the company.

The Protein Biochemist will spearhead our efforts in drug discovery and development, with a core focus on the expression, purification, and characterization of recombinant proteins alongside the development and optimization of biochemical assays. The Protein Biochemist will be a technical expert in protein biochemistry applied across various industrial and research contexts, and demonstrate a solid understanding of protein structure-function relationships, making significant contributions to the advancement of our biotechnological applications.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop purification protocols for diverse proteins from a wide range of organisms
• Express and purify recombinant proteins or protein complexes from common heterologous expression systems, achieving high purity (>90%) and yield (µg-mg)
• Troubleshoot tricky purification challenges, such as insolubility, protein refolding, membrane protein complexes, or low yields
• Prepare proteins for functional testing in cell-based assays and in vivo by validating identity, folded/oligomeric state, and concentrations
• Develop, optimize, and implement both quantitative and qualitative biochemical assays for the screening and functional characterization of proteins
• Independently troubleshoot challenging biochemistry efforts
• Project manage contract work with outside consultants or CROs
• Work closely with automation scientists to increase efficiency and throughput of repetitive steps or assays
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams
• Keep detailed experimental records and documentation (SOPs) for all workflows
• Synthesize ideas, data, and findings into fully open-access pubs

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. or equivalent experience in Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, or a related field
• At least 1-4 years of relevant industry experience
• Hands-on technical experience in the following areas: protein production systems (µg-mg scale), protein expression and purification, basic biochemical and biophysical assays to characterize protein stability and folding
• Strong technical knowledge and hands-on experience with recombinant protein expression systems (bacterial, yeast, insect, and mammalian) and purification techniques required
• Demonstrable experience troubleshooting challenging protein purifications
• Effective project management ability demonstrated by ability to scope work with key stakeholders, create milestones and timelines, identify blockers
• Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic setting, preferably in start-ups
• An excellent verbal and written science communicator for both general and technical audiences. We expect all scientists to actively draft and openly publish their lessons
• Experience working with cross-functional teams with different working styles and types of expertise
• Experience using project management software (Airtable, Monday, Asana, Notion) is a strong plus

$150,000 - $175,000 a year

Interested applicants should apply using the link below and include a CV, cover letter, and answers to the application questions. 

The expected salary range is $150,000-$175,000 per year with generous equity and benefits, depending on experience level. The position will require the individual to be on-site at our Berkeley, California headquarters. We will review applications on a rolling basis, and the job will remain open until the position is filled.

Arcadia Science is an equal opportunity workplace; we welcome people from all backgrounds and communities. We provide competitive compensation and practical benefits to keep you happy and healthy so that you can do your best work. Please note that an offer of employment from Arcadia is contingent upon the successful clearance of a reference and background check.