Synthetic Biologist - Research Scientist

Synthetic Biologist - Research Scientist

Associate | Full-time

Physical Life Sciences | Livermore, CA | 08/06/2026

Reference #: REF
8659T

Job Code: SES.
2 Science & Engineering MTS 2

Organization: Physical and Life Sciences

Position Type: Flexible Term

Security Clearance: Anticipated DOE Q clearance (requires U.S. citizenship and a federal background investigation)

Drug Test: Required for external applicant(s) selected for this position (includes testing for use of marijuana)

Medical Exam: Not applicable

Join us and make YOUR mark on the World!

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has turned bold ideas into world-changing impact advancing science and technology to strengthen U.S. security and promote global stability.

Our mission spans four critical national security areas nuclear deterrence, threat preparedness, energy security, and multi-domain defense empowering teams to take on the toughest challenges of today and tomorrow. With a culture built on innovation and operational excellence, LLNL is a place where your expertise can make a real impact.

We have an opening for a Research Scientist to contribute to synthetic biology, protein engineering, and microbial biotechnology research within the Synthetic Biology group in the Biosciences and Biotechnology Division. The successful candidate will join a multidisciplinary team developing novel, designed proteins and microbes for national security applications, including critical material recovery, under the direction of Dan Park and Sean Leonard.

Working under limited direction, the successful candidate will perform moderately complex experimental assignments, use independent judgment to select and adapt established methods, analyze results, troubleshoot experimental issues, and recommend improvements to workflows Candidates should have an interest in learning new skills and techniques and applying them to solve real-world scientific problems that inform the use of these technologies for both government and commercial applications.

This position requires full-time on-site presence due to the nature of the work.

In this role you will:

• Perform library-scale molecular cloning, plasmid preparation, bacterial transformation, and sequence verification in
  
  E. coli and non-model microbes.
• Execute and optimize high-throughput assays to evaluate protein or microbial performance.
• Express, purify, and characterize proteins using standard biochemical and chromatographic techniques.
• Contribute to general laboratory operations, including media and reagent preparation, equipment maintenance, inventory management, waste disposal, and laboratory organization.
• Analyze and interpret experimental data to identify trends, troubleshoot discrepancies, and recommend refinements to subsequent experiments. Maintain accurate laboratory notebooks and electronic records, prepare data summaries, and effectively communicate experimental results with project team members.
• Contribute to the development, revision, and documentation of laboratory protocols and standard operating procedures, as assigned.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in Synthetic Biology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Biological Sciences, or a related field or an equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Experience with standard molecular biology techniques, including PCR, gel electrophoresis, DNA assembly/cloning, plasmid preparation, and bacterial transformation.
• Experience culturing and maintaining bacterial strains using sterile technique.
• Experience with recombinant protein expression and purification.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills necessary to document procedures, present results, and collaborate with technical staff.
• Experience with synthetic biology tools and workflows, including, Gibson Assembly, Golden Gate Assembly, or related DNA assembly methods.
• Experience with high-throughput screening, laboratory automation, or microbial strain engineering in
  
  E. coli or non-model microbes.
• Familiarity with protein characterization techniques, chromatography, or biochemical assays.
• Experience with fermentation, microbial process development, or bioprocess scale-up.
• Experience with preparing DNA libraries for short- and long- read sequencing.
• Experience with bioinformatic tools for DNA sequence analysis, including experience working at the command line (Bash/ZSH) and/or a common scripting language (R/Python).

Pay Range

$146,340 - $185,544 annually

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting; pay will not be below any applicable local minimum wage. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education,…