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
At Brightseed, you will be a part of building out an innovative biological investigation capability to uncover the health benefits of natural molecules isolated from major domains of life including plants, fungi, and microbes. As part of your work, you will develop our internal capabilities to perform high-throughput screening in collaboration with our computation and chemistry teams and design research strategies for lead compound validation. Ultimately, your work will result in the human health knowledge base as a crucial part of our Forager® platform and a portfolio of novel discoveries. This role will report to the Director, Human Health, and is based in South San Francisco.
ABOUT YOU
You are an expert biologist with a passion to explore the chemical diversity encoded in the plant kingdom and how that diversity can be harnessed for the betterment of human health.
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.
YOUR IMPACT
Lead in vitro biological investigation to discover natural bioactive compounds and their applications in human health Design, develop, and deploy assays representing bioactivities of interest, including phenotypic, target-based, biomarker, and other functional screening assaysLead investigations to deliver mechanistic insights into the activity of lead compounds, implementing a range of molecular biology and biochemical techniques for nucleic acid, protein, and cell-based analysesPrepare, maintain and manage appropriate cell lines, biological tools, reagents, and other experimental resources supporting active biological investigations.Team with in-house natural product chemists and computational biologists to perform bioactivity-guided screening of natural plant compoundsDevelop an appropriate laboratory infrastructure to support research efforts, including Identifying, commissioning, and maintaining critical lab equipmentMentor team members in best practices and laboratory/data norms in high throughput screeningDuring the first year at Brightseed, we would expect you to:
Lead biological investigations in identifying natural compounds that address the company’s major areas of focusDeliver in vitro validated lead compounds for targeted bioactivities in discovery programsLead efforts to increase high throughput screening quality and efficiencyREQUIREMENTS
Strong expertise in Molecular or Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Bioengineering, or related fields PhD with 4-8 years related experience, or MS with 7+ years related experience, or BS with 10+ years related experienceA track record of achievements in designing or working in high throughput screening laboratoriesExperience with automated liquid handling and high content screening.Excellent computer and quantitative skills, including scientific record-keeping and technical document management A track record of mentorship and development of younger team membersExperience investigating human health processes and metabolomics is a definite plus.Ability to effectively communicate complex concepts, data, and interpretations to a wide range of audiences Strong attention to detail and safetyCOMPENSATION
The salary range for this position is $151,200 - $171,200.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.