Microbe Sourcing

OPEN POSITION: Microbe Sourcing & Characterization Co-op

Wild Microbes’ mission is to catalyze a new future for biological manufacturing. We are a pre-seed startup, but we have some wild ideas. We are finding and engineering the next generation of microbial hosts that will allow more products to be made productively with biology. Our partners are looking to transition away from petrochemicals and toward a future in which foods, chemicals, and materials are produced as a part of a circular, biologically based supply chain. To help usher in this new world, we are developing microbial hosts that are more capable, more diverse, and more resilient than those that have come before. These microbes will undergird a transition to new fermentation processes and production paradigms. We do all of this by leveraging a deep expertise in strain domestication, high-throughput screening and assay development, and cutting-edge microbial engineering technologies.

This search is for an undergraduate or master’s degree seeking student to work with the microbial characterization team, supporting microbial isolation and screening efforts across multiple product areas. You will process large numbers of bacterial samples simultaneously, which will require high levels of planning and organization. At the same time, you will have direct exposure to technical teams working on everything from developing new genetic tools and screening for promising new hosts.

Role:

• Use microbiology techniques including culturing, enumeration, and growth rate measurements to curate the company's microbial collection.
• Perform molecular biology techniques to characterize microbes including PCR, gel electrophoresis, Sanger sequencing, and sequencing analysis.
• Collect, handle, and bank a variety of environmental samples.
• Develop assays to screen the collection for target phenotypes.
• Set up and run bench-top fermenters.
• Make complex media and buffers and perform general restocking to ensure smooth laboratory operations.

Qualifications:

• Pursuing a degree in molecular biology, microbiology, biotechnology, or related field.
• Academic or industry research lab experience in a related field.
• Completed at least one co-op.
• Able to work full-time in the US and on-site in Cambridge, MA.

Bonus Qualifications:

• Proficiency with Python, Unix, or other programming languages.