Associate Scientist, Natural Product Chemistry

ABOUT BRIGHTSEED

Brightseed®, the bioactives company is a World Economic Global Innovator that illuminates nature to restore human health. Brightseed’s proprietary AI, Forager®, accelerates bioactive discovery, biological validation, and ingredient formulation from years to months, rapidly revealing new connections between nature and humanity.  Brightseed produces clinically proven bioactives for dietary supplements, food & beverage CPG, specialty nutrition and medical foods to power proactive health worldwide. Learn more at brightseedbio.com.

ABOUT BIOACTIVES

Bioactives are compounds found in plants, fungi, and bacteria that also benefit human health.  They are an important part of a nutrient dense diet, and their health impact often goes beyond basic nutrition. For example, the bioactive lycopene found in tomatoes has been found to lower the risk of certain types of cancer and heart disease. In addition, there are multitudes of other bioactives that are only accessible through complex interactions within the gut microbiome. One example is the compound salicin found in willow bark, which transforms into salicylic acid when it interacts with gut microbes. Science has long known that bioactives are critical to human health, yet the vast majority remain unknown and are often referred to as the “dark matter” of nutrition.

THE ROLE

The Associate Scientist, Natural Product Chemistry is responsible for building out a novel collection of natural products that enable human health and wellness with natural molecules isolated from major domains of life including plants, fungi, and microbes. In this role, you will work with a multidisciplinary team of natural product chemists, biologists, computational biologists, process engineers, and product development scientists to deliver solutions to unmet industrial needs. You will lead efficiency improvements to the screening pipeline in assay development and screening time, to support overall program efficiency gains. 

• Serve as an in-house expert in Natural Product Chemistry (NPC), offering valuable support for High Throughput Screening (HTS), Activity-Guided Fractionation, and lead optimization.
• Act as a key contributor to maintaining high standards in the execution of internal and external discovery programs with minimal supervision.
• Execute the Activity-Guided Fractionation process independently, encompassing the purification of bioactives, interpretation of spectroscopy data, and generation of data-driven decision-making.
• Maintain meticulous documentation in laboratory notebooks and development reports, while also drafting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), test records/forms, various protocols, and reports in a timely manner.
• Design, plan, and build technology improvement projects aimed at enhancing team efficiency and value, with appropriate support and guidance.
• Manage laboratory inventory and contribute to lab maintenance tasks as assigned.
• Lead small compound management and Quality Control (QC) efforts to guarantee the accuracy and stability of compounds.

• BS in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Bioengineering and 3-5 years related experience, or MS with 1-2 years related experience
• Experience in execution and optimization of chemistry workflows for natural small molecule purification and characterization. 
• Experience with automated tools for the analysis of LC/MS data, targeted and untargeted metabolomics.
• Hands-on experience with microbial culture and isolation techniques. 
• Experience in compound characterization using both 1D and 2D NMR techniques, and NMR data processing would be viewed favorably.
• Able to work independently in the lab, hands-on experience in operating state of art of analytical systems like LC-MS or LC-MS/MS and LC/mass guided fractionation purification systems, conventional detection systems like DAD, ELSD, etc.
• An understanding of natural product biosynthesis is strongly preferred. 
• Experience in assaying the bioactivity of natural products and activity-guided fractionation is highly desirable.
• Ability to communicate knowledge clearly and persuasively, both in writing and speaking/presentation and effectively present scientific data across diverse teams.
• Ability to develop and analyze models/results and solve complex problems.
• Ability to think logically and make connections between observations, research results, and existing knowledge to provide practical solutions.
• Technical proficiency with MS Office and virtual meeting tools.
• Ability to work well in teams and build strong relationships across cross functional teams to lead functional collaborations towards a shared goal.
• Ability to effectively communicate complex scientific concepts, data, and interpretations to a wide range of audiences.
• Self-starting, entrepreneurial orientation a must.
• Strong attention to detail and safety.

• This position will consist of approximately 20% desk work, and 80% lab work.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer in an office environment.
• Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds at one time.
• Prolonged periods of sitting and standing in a lab environment.
• Wearing PPE during work in the lab environment.

• The salary range for this position is $106,700 - $118,700.
• Compensation for this position is commensurate with relevant qualifications and work experience, academic credentials, job related skills, employment location and other factors. 

THE BENEFITS YOU’LL ENJOY

As a lab based company, where in person collaboration is key to drive innovation, we encourage all team members to be in our office most days each week. However we appreciate and honor the need and desire for flexibility and have implemented a hybrid working model for some positions which will be outlined on the job description. Our property provides a professional gym onsite, plenty of free parking, weekly tenant events and a state-of-the-art lab and office.

We offer a competitive total rewards package with team-first benefits programs for full-time employees, including medical, dental and vision coverage, unlimited paid time off, life insurance, employee assistance programs, 401(k) plan, a mental health platform, employee discounts, payroll credits for cell phone and commuter costs and a paid parental leave program.

JOIN US, AND BE YOU

We are committed to making transformative discoveries with a team-first mentality. Successful team members are truth-seeking and trusting, with the tenacity required to trail-blaze in uncharted territory. We are a collaborative team that actively seeks input and values differing perspectives. And we produce tangible results, holding ourselves accountable in the process. 

We are also committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of connectedness and inclusion. We grow and learn together, respecting professional and personal experiences, areas of expertise, and types of self expression. 

In recruiting for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that each one of us brings in terms of education, opinions, culture, color, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, religion, different abilities, sexual orientation and beliefs.

Brightseed requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, subject to accommodation. If hired we will require you to provide proof of vaccination.