Formulation Chemist​/Technical Co-Founder, Crop Nutrition & Weed Control

Deep Science Ventures is seeking an exceptional formulation chemist to join the team of a new venture at the intersection of crop nutrition and weed control.

This is a deeply hands-on role:
You will take ownership of a critical part of the technology, developing the formulation and coating system required to translate the underlying biology into a scalable, commercially viable agricultural product. You will design the formulation strategy and personally execute experimental work in the lab, taking the technology from early formulation development through to pilot scale.

Depending on your experience, leadership ambition and fit with the founding team, the role could develop as Technical Co-Founder (c-suite), with responsibility for the company's broader technical strategy, or as a founding Formulation Chemist/Lead Scientist working alongside the c-suite.

The venture is targeting incorporation and spin-out in early Q2 2027, with pre-seed (incorporation) investment and ongoing support from Deep Science Ventures and the Grantham Foundation. The role is full-time and will require an on-site presence in San Diego, California as the company’s laboratory capability is established.

A combination of legislation and weed resistance is giving farmers an ever-diminishing herbicide tool kit. Legacy chemical herbicides have been shown to be toxic to human health and the environment. Meanwhile, farmers are spending thousands of dollars per year on inefficient crop nutrition with at best 50% of what is administered benefiting the crop. The remainder is polluting our water systems or feeding weeds that compete with the crop for nutrients.

Thus weeds are costing farmers twice - on wasted nutrients and on herbicides. We are building a solution to address this paradox, with a technology that delivers nutrients exclusively to crops. It is designed for compatibility with existing farming practices, thereby enabling large scale impact via both increased nutrient use efficiency for yield and weed starvation to lower herbicide demands.

You’ll build the company alongside Dr. James Pearce , an experienced ag-biotech R&D leader with 20+ years spanning startups and global crop-science companies. He has held senior roles including CSO at Boost Biomes and VP Research at CH4 Global, alongside earlier leadership roles at Monsanto/Bayer, Cibus and Syngenta. His experience spans microbial crop inputs, biologicals, field trials, bioprocess scale-up, regulatory and IP strategy, and strategic partnerships.

You’re motivated by ambitious, unsolved challenges and the opportunity to challenge the status quo in agrochemicals. You’re entrepreneurial, impact-driven and comfortable taking initiative in ambiguous, fast-moving environments, using first-principles thinking to figure out what’s really needed. You collaborate with patience and an open mind, and are willing to go where the company needs you most as the venture evolves.

• PhD or equivalent technical depth in Chemistry, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Biochemistry or a related discipline;
• Significant industry R&D experience developing formulations or coatings from bench towards pilot scale;
• Deep expertise in controlled-release formulation/coating systems, ideally involving fertilisers, agricultural inputs or another relevant controlled-release application;
• Hands‑on experience with fluid‑bed coating or closely analogous coating processes;
• Strong understanding of film properties, coating integrity and dissolution/release kinetics;
• Experience working with biopolymers or polymer modification and characterisation; experience with esterification, degree‑of‑substitution control, NMR and titration is particularly relevant;
• Experience applying formal Design…