Sr Research Associate​/Scientist, Enzyme Development

Overview

About Zymo Chem

Zymo Chem is pioneering breakthrough science for a fossil-free future. We are building bio-based materials that make everyday products better for people and the planet, accelerating the world’s transition to a true zero-carbon economy.

Backed by $65M in funding from global leaders including lululemon, Toyota Ventures, Breakout Ventures, and major U.S. government agencies (DOE, DOD), Zymo Chem is scaling rapidly. With our Series B anticipated in early 2026, we are expanding across all teams to accelerate the commercialization of our products.

At Zymo Chem, our culture is rooted in curiosity, innovation, and collaboration. We tackle complex scientific challenges with determination and succeed because of the strength of our diverse, multidisciplinary teams working toward a bold mission. As a Certified B Corporation and Public Benefit Corporation, we hold ourselves accountable not only to scientific and commercial excellence, but also to creating measurable impact for people and the planet.

If you are motivated by advancing science, addressing climate-scale challenges, and shaping the future of sustainable materials, Zymo Chem offers the opportunity to make a lasting difference.

Our Mission:
To catalyze a real-zero economy with drop-in, bio-based solutions.

Our Vision:
To live in a world in which the goods we depend on every day are bio-manufactured from 100% renewable materials and designed for a sustainable economy - without compromise.

Our Values:
Lead with Compassion, Aspire Collectively, Evolve Continuously, Innovate with Impact, Scale Sustainably

Position Summary

The Enzyme Development Sr. Research Associate / Scientist I joins an interdisciplinary team working on the biocatalytic foundation of Zymochem. The successful candidate will work in a fast-paced, goal-oriented environment and advance their career at the cutting edge of synthetic biology. We are looking for you if you are a curious problem-solver with an interest in the nuts-and-bolts of challenging biocatalysts.

We also want a collaborative spirit, who will support multiple stages in the R&D pipeline. The successful candidate will exercise both their knowledge and creativity to characterize Zymochem’s C2 pathways and engineer improvements in them.

The Enzyme Development Team characterizes and optimizes enzymes across purified proteins, lysates, and production strains by developing assays to measure kinetics, substrate scope, and biophysical properties. They build company-wide knowledge of enzyme requirements and sensitivities, including activation, cofactors, pH, solubility, inhibition, and temperature stability, while collaborating with other teams to identify factors that could limit in vivo production. The team also designs and executes screening campaigns to discover or engineer enzymes that overcome these limitations and drive improved performance in our products.

• The primary responsibility of this role will be to own the execution of enzyme characterization and engineering campaigns – primarily in the lab, but also with computational tools. Within 3 months you will become familiar with Zymochem’s standard workflows for protein characterization and engineering. Within 6 months, you will be owning the DBTL cycle for your own projects, with guidance and mentorship from the broader team.
• Design
  • Connect sequence-structure-function with computational tools, and use this to design the DNA library that will be used in the protein engineering campaign.
• Build
  • Library construction, cloning, and QC.
• Test
  • More than 50% of your time will be spent testing proteins. This will include both library screening and protein purification + characterization. Additional responsibilities in this role will be developing and refining high-throughput screens, and using automation to improve assay throughput.
• Learn
  • Integrating the data from the protein engineering & characterization into testable insights to inform further improvements. You will then work collaboratively with Biology, Strain engineering and Fermentation teams to apply those insights to improve strain productivity.
• Other responsibilities
  • Whe…