PhD Intern – Strain Analytics

About Pivot Bio:  

Fueled by an innovative drive and a deep understanding of the soil microbiome, Pivot Bio is pioneering game-changing advances in agriculture. Our products harness the power of naturally occurring microbes to provide nutrients to crops and new sustainable ways for farmers to reduce the usage of fertilizers as they work to help feed the world’s growing population.

Read/Hear more about Pivot Bio on Forbes or PBS News Hour. 

Position:  PhD Intern – Strain Analytics Research 

Schedule: Monday-Friday 8-hour workdays 

Start Date: Early June (12 weeks) 

The Strain Analytics In Vitro Assay Development research team is looking for a strong researcher who thrives in the laboratory. The successful candidate should be willing to learn and support innovation while maintaining excellent laboratory practices. Working primarily in our beautiful new facility in Berkeley, the candidate will be responsible for supporting the Strain Analytics research team’s efforts to develop and characterize microbial activity assays for strain selection. The candidate should have a working knowledge of microbiology and be able to apply these concepts to culturing microbes in lab. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work on multiple assay development projects to support on-going strain selection process at Pivot. Microbial activity measurements from in-vitro cultures are crucial for strain selection on the path to commercialize a fertilizer bioproduct with a superior ability delivering fertilizer on crops. 

Responsibilities:  

• Work in a laboratory setting to generate microbial cultures from diverse species and develop assays 
• Independently carry out research activities that include (not limiting to) profiling of a panel of edited strains for ammonium excretion and measuring nitrogen fixation activity by gas chromatography 
• Validate assays by using proprietary strains 
• Screen to identify the best performing synthetic communities 
• Plate and count microbes using aseptic technique  
• Maintain large number of samples in an organized manner 
• Handle microbial cultures in a manner that promotes operator safety, lab hygiene, and sample integrity 
• Operate and maintain lab-scale processing including automated liquid handlers 
• Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) to execute assays  
• Troubleshoot and assist with developing protocol (SOP) iterations 
• Collect and enter data in physical and electronic notebooks  
• Attend and contribute to R&D meetings   

 Physical Demands:  

• Repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands, or fingers 
• Communicating with others to exchange information 

Qualifications and Experience:  

• Currently pursuing a PhD in life sciences, chemistry, biotechnology, food science, biological systems engineering, biochemical engineering, or related field  
• Experience with sterile/aseptic technique for handling microbes  
• Comfortable with standard microbiology techniques, including aseptic techniques, CFU/viability plating and cell counting  
• Excellent communication - ability to understand the needs of others and clearly explain ideas  
• Attention to detail, skilled in making observations and documenting anomalies  
• Strong problem solving and troubleshooting skills  

*Must be authorized to work in the United States  

What we offer:  

• Opportunity to gain professional experience in a progressive company 
• Exciting opportunity to work with a talented and fun team