Associate Director / Director Translational and Clinical Research (Clinical)

Brightseed is a pioneer in biosciences and artificial intelligence (A.I.) that illuminates nature to restore human health. Brightseed’s proprietary A.I., Forager®, accelerates bioactive discovery, biological validation and ingredient formulation from years to months, rapidly revealing new connections between nature and humanity. Through Forager® and clinical evaluation, Brightseed partners with organizations across the consumer health continuum to offer insight into the world of bioactives and health solutions. 

Brightseed is a pioneer in biosciences and artificial intelligence (A.I.) that illuminates nature to restore human health. Brightseed’s proprietary A.I., Forager®, accelerates bioactive discovery, biological validation and ingredient formulation from years to months, rapidly revealing new connections between nature and humanity. Through Forager® and clinical evaluation, Brightseed partners with organizations across the consumer health continuum to offer insight into the world of bioactives and health solutions. Visit www.brightseedbio.com to learn more.

Bioactives are small molecule compounds produced by plants, fungi, and microbes that grow in and adapt to environments that present a wide range of challenges to their survival. Bioactives also benefit the health of humans – they are the enlivening caffeine in tea, the powerful antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes or curcumin in turmeric, and they inform active ingredients in medicines like Taxol, aspirin and Metformin, the latter a first-line treatment for Type 2 diabetes derived from the French lilac flower. Science has long known that bioactives are critical to human health, yet the vast majority remain unknown and uncharted – often referred to as the “dark matter” of nutrition. Brightseed’s A.I., Forager®, discovers bioactives in nature and maps them to human health outcomes at a rate and accuracy that was previously impossible.

You are a trained applied scientist with extensive experience investigating the molecular basis of the impact of diet on human health. You are a researcher who knows how to generate scientific results and derive insights that guide the development of innovative dietary solutions for human health. In your role you will develop and execute our clinical research strategy with external partners as well as for our internal innovation pipeline connecting phytonutrients to health. Specifically, as an internal subject matter expert for dietary interventions related to various health benefits such as the gut microbiome, metabolic health, etc.

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. We have a fully stocked healthy kitchen, a gym onsite, plenty of free parking, weekly team 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. 

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.

Serve as an in-house expert leading the design, execution and interpretation of human clinical studies linking mechanism(s) of action to clinical endpoints. Additionally, connecting this clinical data to our commercial pipeline is critically important. 

Drive cross-functional collaboration across R&D, Business Development and Medical/Scientific Affairs to ensure our clinical strategies align to our commercial goals.

Extend and deepen Brightseed’s coverage across current and emerging areas of human health conditions by building our internal expertise across our bioactives programs

Collaborate on both internal projects and external partnerships in discovery efforts by evaluating health opportunities. This includes assessing their potential for dietary intervention by linking the underlying biology of prospective molecular targets and translating to human clinical evidence.

PhD and 1+ year of postdoc/industry experience in Biology, Nutrition Science, Biomedical Sciences, Nutritional Biochemistry, Molecular Nutrition, Physiology or a human biology-related field.

Deep knowledge of the molecular biology and biochemistry underlying the effects of diet on human health.

Minimum of 10 years of industry experience in nutritional or therapeutic discovery related to human clinical trials is highly desirable.

Direct experience in designing, planning and executing human clinical studies in conjunction with CROs is required. This includes elements of incorporating power calculations, primary/secondary endpoints, inclusion/exclusion criteria, etc. while adhering to Good Clinical Practice guidelines.

Experience compiling, reviewing and interpreting molecular and biomedical data is highly desirable.

Demonstrated track record of generating original scientific insights related to nutrition and health and publishing articles in peer-review publications.

Experience supporting successful commercial launches of nutrition or health-related products is a plus.

Requires experience in industry successfully leading and directing the work of small teams.

Self-starting, entrepreneurial orientation a must.

Highly collaborative and able to build strong working relationships across multiple cross-functional teams.

Strong ability to communicate scientific data across diverse teams including non-scientific colleagues.

Ability to function well in a high-paced environment.

Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at time.

The salary range for this position is $166,000 - $200,000

Compensation for this position is commensurate with relevant qualifications and work experience, academic credentials, job related skills, employment location, and other factors.