Research Associate, Discovery (Plant Biology)

Number of employees

100

South San Francisco, California, United States

Posted on: 2023-01-25

Category: agritech

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Expired

Employment type:

Full time

Experience required:

Intermediate

Salary

Salary not provided

About the company:

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. 

ABOUT BRIGHTSEED
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.

ABOUT BIOACTIVES
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.

ABOUT THE ROLE 
Your primary role at Brightseed will be building a best in class plant library by sourcing and processing raw plant material, and keeping complete and clear documentation. As a part of the Plant Biology team, you will contribute to creating the world's largest plant compound database by generating ready-to-use materials to support our high-throughput pipeline. Ultimately, you are truly excited about the opportunity to build a novel collection of natural products that enable consumer health and wellness with a collaborative, multidisciplinary group of scientists.

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. 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.

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.

THE IMPACT YOU WILL MAKE

  • Build  the natural resources library that aligns with company discovery and commercialization strategy by sourcing high quality plant materials.
  • Intake plant material and process it to create quality and consistent plant samples for research workflows using a variety of raw materials processing methods and equipment, including freeze-drying, milling/size reduction, material dispensing and weighing while ensuring sample documentation is accurate. 
  • Maintain comprehensive records of our plant and natural resources library, by documenting the metadata for each sample and keeping detailed lab notes of all research performed so data can be tracked through the research pipeline. 
  • Create and update standard procedures (SOPs) that are followed in all aspects of work including machine setup and operation, process verification, product inspection, documentation, material handling, etc.
  • Prepare samples for long term storage to include vacuum sealing, archive organization and photographic herbarium record keeping.
  • Share technical knowledge by onboarding and training new team members.
  • Develop new procedures and capabilities to improve quality and efficiency of the current plant biology workflow.
  • JOB QUALIFICATIONS

  • BA/BS with background in plant sciences, horticultural science, environmental science, ecology, ethnobotany, and/or related fields.
  • Demonstrated experience working in an industry or research laboratory setting; comfortable with basic instrument utilization and troubleshooting.
  • Experience with MS Office required; Database management, information science or computer science a plus. 
  • Strong problem solving skills, attention to detail and quality of samples, and safety conscious required.
  • Work well independently and in a team.
  • Knowledge of macroscopic plant identification, medicinal plant uses, ethical and sustainable sourcing techniques desired. 
  • A deep knowledge or interest to learn more about plants and their benefits to humanity desired.
  • PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
  • Ability to stand or sit for extended period of time
  • Fine motor skills with frequent hand and arm movement
  • Ability to lift up to 30 pounds
  • Moderate twisting and bending
  • COMPENSATION

  • The salary range for this position is $74,600 - $84,550.
  • Compensation for this position is commensurate with relevant qualifications and work experience, academic credentials, job related skills, employment location and other factors. 
  • More senior candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
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