Laboratory Technician, Strain Engineering

About us

At Shiru we believe that food should be delicious and nourishing without negatively affecting our planet. Acknowledging our growing global population as well as the imminent effects of climate change, Shiru's mission is to create better protein ingredients that will catapult us into a sustainable food future.

With our mission in mind, Shiru makes high quality, functional food proteins through better leveraging our precious environmental resources. To do this, we employ technologies originally created to solve problems in adjacent industries, including computational biology, machine learning, and industrial fermentation and bioprocessing.

We apply computational intelligence to find the most functional natural food proteins in the world, harnessing the inherent ability of microflora to produce them. We then partner with food and beverage companies to incorporate these unique protein ingredients into everyday products. Shiru is now expanding our team of dedicated professionals across multiple disciplines to make enhanced protein ingredients for a better world.

About the role

At Shiru, we express diverse functional food proteins in microbial strains and evaluate them to identify hero food ingredients. We are looking for an enthusiastic and detail-oriented Laboratory Technician to join our Strain Engineering team and work at the interface of strain engineering and automation. You will work closely with Shiru's scientists and engineers to execute and improve our strain engineering workflows. As a key member of an early stage multi-disciplinary team, you will have ample opportunities to learn cutting-edge science in a collaborative environment, hone your laboratory and scientific decision-making skills, and contribute to our collective mission with ever-increasing autonomy.

About you

You are an enthusiastic and hyper-organized self-starter. You enjoy working at the bench. Your curiosity and attention to detail help you spot problems, ask questions, and identify solutions. Your positive mindset and collaborative attitude make you a great team player. You have excellent interpersonal and time-management skills; and a passion for science, food, and sustainability.

Responsibilities

• Assemble, QC and prepare DNA for use in engineering microbial strains
• Transform DNA into microbial strains, identify & bank positive transformants, hand off to High Throughput Screening for characterization
• Identify out-of-spec data and support troubleshooting and the development of new processes
• Keep a detailed electronic record of results using Electronic Notebook and Laboratory Inventory Management Systems
• Compile and organize data for analysis and communication
• Maintain a safe working environment
• Contribute to general lab hygiene and operations (i.e., ordering, media prep, glassware cleaning)

Preferred Experience

• A.S./B.S. degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, bioengineering, chemistry, chemical engineering, or a related discipline; previous laboratory research experience preferred
• Experience using aseptic technique
• Strong attention to detail and safety conscious
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills needed for our collaborative environment
• Experience in molecular biology techniques such as PCR, plasmid/DNA design, microbial transformation, and microbial culture desirable but not required

At Shiru, we're looking for people with passion, grit, and integrity. You're encouraged to apply even if your experience doesn't precisely match the job description. We're expecting your skills and passion to stand out-and set you apart-especially if your career has taken some extraordinary twists and turns. Please join us in this singular opportunity to create the future of food!

Shiru is an equal opportunity employer who values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Shiru offers competitive compensation and employee benefits along with an attractive equity package commensurate with candidate qualifications.