Scientist - Microbiology

Carbon Drop is on a mission to tackle climate change at a truly impactful scale, with a goal to capture gigatons of CO2 per year at a cost orders of magnitude lower than current technologies. Our novel approach takes advantage of photosynthesis to enhance carbon capture and sequester CO2 at the gigaton scale over geologically-relevant timescales. Carbon Drop aims to capture CO2 at the scale required to allow a carbon neutral energy future to emerge without compromising food sources or world economic development.

• Isolate, identify, and cultivate bacteria and fungi isolated from macroalgal tissue
• Test nitrogen-fixing bacteria for symbiotic associations with macroalgae
• Assess the composition and stability of microbial communities via nucleic acid isolation from macroalgal tissue and analysis (qPCR, 16S, MAG assembly)
• Develop microbiological field sampling and analysis pipelines for monitoring tissue-associated and marine microbial communities
• Work collaboratively in a team science environment with exceptional molecular biologists, strain engineers, biochemists and phycologists
• Conduct wet lab experiments, data analysis and communicate results to the team
• Assist in the build out of our laboratory environment for growing modified organisms, performing molecular biology and physiological experiments, with a particular focus on high-throughput solutions
• Document hardware design, experimental details and findings
• Help team members perform their research projects in a collaborative manner, maintain research equipment and maintain and order reagents

• PhD degree in microbiology, biochemistry or molecular biology
• A track record of conducting results-driven research
• Experience in collaborative interactions and completing projects with multiple participants
• Entrepreneurial and innovative mindset with a demonstrated history of developing or implementing new ideas/technologies within a company or academic lab environment
• Self-starter who excels at managing multiple deliverables simultaneously and thrives in a fast-paced startup and research environment
• Strong communicator, both verbally and written

• Have working knowledge of molecular biology techniques (e.g., cloning, genome editing) or high-throughput approaches relevant to microbial strain characterization
• Have experience with metagenomic sampling and sequencing
• Have experience building and maintaining synthetic microbial communities
• Have experience with liquid handling robots, colony pickers and high-throughput phenotyping
• Have >3 years of industry experience
• Are comfortable running common analytical instruments including gel electrophoresis equipment, flow cytometers, and/or plate readers

Compensation for this position is commensurate with research experience, academic credentials, relevant qualifications and other job related skills. The salary range for this position is $120k-150k. We also offer equity in an early-stage startup and the benefits listed below.