Biological Engineering Project Scientist

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s (LBNL) Biological Systems and Engineering Division has an opening for a Biological Engineering Project Scientist to join the Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU) team.

In this exciting role, you will be a part of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) funded Agile BioFoundry and located at the ABPDU in Emeryville, CA. The Process Integration and Scale-Up task within ABF aims to study cellular heterogeneity in bioreactor cultivation that starts at the inoculum level and rapidly amplifies during cultivation in bioreactors, leading to high levels of variability even among bioreactor replicates. The industry has generally come to accept this high level of variability, often 20%, as a standard for bioprocessing studies. You will design experiments to quantify cell-to-cell heterogeneity in bioreactors and devise solutions to address the variability problem and prolong biocatalysis during fermentation, enabling more robust biomanufacturing processes. This is a highly collaborative project and it is expected that the Project Scientist will be open to working with a number of different groups within and outside the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, including groups at other National Labs and universities. The learnings from these studies will not only be published but also tested with industrial collaborators at the ABPDU.

What You Will Do:

• Ability to or willingness to learn and execute bioreactor cultivations and perform a range of phenotypic and biochemical analyses.
• Develop single cell reporter assays to monitor key metabolic processes and potential roles in controlling strain productivity under varied experimental conditions. 
• Collaborate with institutes, such as the Joint Genome Institute and Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, to conduct large-scale whole-genomic next-generation sequencing and -omic analyses.
• Strategize and write grants to obtain additional funding on the topic of systems-level microbial heterogeneity occurring during bioreactor cultivation.
• Draft manuscripts describing experimental work.
• Present results and discuss plans with funders.

 
What is Required:

• 0-5 years of relevant experience beyond the highest degree in the field of evolutionary microbiology, systems biology, environmental microbiology, biochemical engineering, chemical engineering, or a similar field. 
• Previous experience contributing to publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Experience in analyzing and interpreting -omic data with strong quantitative/computational skills.
• Experience applying novel approaches to analyzing genomic sequence data.
• Familiarity with microbial imaging techniques.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Interest in mentoring and developing others.

 
Desired Qualifications:

• Ph.D. degree in the field of evolutionary microbiology, systems biology, environmental microbiology, ecology,  biochemical engineering, chemical engineering, or similar field.
• Previous experience or interest in employing imaging tools as a method to observe phenotypic changes, such as with fluorescence microscopy, confocal microscopy, or cryoEM techniques to help resolve subcellular localization.
• Interest in developing quantum imaging tools for biological systems.
• Experience in prokaryotic protein localization analysis.

 
Notes:

• This is a full time, 1 year, term appointment that may be renewed to a maximum of five years.
• This position may be subject to a background check. Any convictions will be evaluated to determine if they directly relate to the responsibilities and requirements of the position. Having a conviction history will not automatically disqualify an applicant from being considered for employment.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at Berkeley Lab. Our excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates for our faculty positions will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to advancing equity and inclusion.
• Work will be primarily performed at Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU) — Bldg. 978, 5885 Hollis St., 3rd floor, Emeryville, CA

Biological Systems and Engineering Division

Vision: To lead efforts that combine the power of biology with the tools of engineering to develop sustainable energy and biomanufacturing solutions and improve human health.

Mission: Advance a mechanistic and predictive understanding of complex biological systems over multiple scales in terms of their responses to manipulation, stress, disease and environmental challenges and translate this knowledge using engineering principles to develop resilient systems, tools, and processes for the efficient production of fuels, chemicals, materials, tissues, and therapeutics.

Berkeley Lab

Berkeley Lab (LBNL) addresses the world’s most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab’s scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

Working at Berkeley Lab has many rewards including a competitive compensation program, excellent health and welfare programs, a retirement program that is second to none, and outstanding development opportunities.  To view information about the many rewards that are offered at Berkeley Lab- Click Here.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Berkeley Lab is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status. Berkeley Lab is in compliance with the Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision under 41 CFR 60-1.4.  Click here to view the poster and supplement: "Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory encourages applications from women, minorities, veterans, and other underrepresented groups presently considering scientific research careers.