Research Associate / Senior Research Associate - Microbiology

About CarbonDrop CarbonDrop is on a mission to tackle climate change at a truly impactful scale, with a goal to capture gigatonnes 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 gigatonne scale over geologically-relevant timescales. CarbonDrop 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.What You’ll DoCollaborate with Scientists and Research Associates to design and carry out wet lab experiments, troubleshoot, analyze data and conduct literature reviewsEstablish and maintain axenic cultures of macroalgae and other non-model photosynthetic organisms: surface sterilization, antibiotic and antifungal treatment regimesOwn contamination control across the culture collection and the tissue-culture pipeline: routine sterility testing, environmental and media monitoring, tracing outbreaks back to their sourceIsolate, culture and identify the microbes that live on and in our cultures (plating, enrichment, microscopy, 16S/ITS sequencing) and build a reference collection of contaminants and associated microbiotaSupport tissue-culture experiments: prepare and sterilize media, keep explants clean, and run the microbiological side of condition screensDevelop and execute standard operating procedures for sterile technique, media preparation and culture handling, and train the team on themCommunicate the results of your experiments to Scientists and the broader CarbonDrop teamAssist in the build out of our laboratory environment by contributing to the selection and maintenance of lab equipment, the establishment of protocols, and the upkeep of consumables inventoryCapture data thoroughly in our experimental records and shared data stores; document protocols so they can be transferred between team members; record metadata for long-term culture stocks and the contaminant collectionWho You AreEntrepreneurial and innovative mindset with a demonstrated history of developing or implementing new ideas/technologies within a company or academic lab environmentExcited by the prospect of being handed responsibility rapidly, being driven by an environment of constant growth and by solving hard problems creatively and collaboratively - independence, ownership and agency are requiredBachelor or Master of Science degree in Microbiology, Biology, Marine Biology, Plant Biology, Biotechnology, or similarHands-on microbiologist: you have isolated, cultured and identified bacteria or fungi, run sterility and contamination testing, and can keep a clean culture cleanRigorous aseptic technique, and comfortable working in a laminar-flow hood for long stretchesExperience in collaborative interactions and completing projects with multiple stakeholdersSelf-starter with strong organizational skills and ability to multitask and prioritize effectivelyMeticulous about records: you capture what you did, what you saw and what deviated from plan, and you flag anomaliesStrong communicator, both verbally and writtenBonus If You HaveExperience establishing axenic cultures of algae, plants or other eukaryotesExperience with growing, maintaining and/or culturing macroalgae or microalgaeExperience with plant or algal tissue cultureExperience with microbial identification by sequencing (16S/ITS amplicon, Sanger)Experience with antibiotic susceptibility testing or designing antimicrobial treatment regimesWorked with non-model organismsWorked in a fast-paced startup environmentCompensationCompensation for this position will be commensurate with research experience, academic credentials, relevant qualifications and other job related skills. The salary range starts at $80k per year and also includes equity in an exciting, early-stage startup in addition to the benefits listed below.BenefitsHealth insuranceVision insuranceDental insurance401(k) contributionWellness benefitUnlimited vacation policyParental leave