Biochemist jobs in Oakland, CA

A Bit About Us

We are Arcadia Science. Arcadia is a science company founded and led by scientists. Our mission is to transform evolutionary innovations into real-world solutions by openly developing more efficient, replicable, and sustainable ways to leverage the biology of diverse organisms. Scientists at Arcadia share as much of their research as possible to gather community feedback and accelerate scientific progress.

The Opportunity

Arcadia is a combined platform company and biotech start-up incubator. The experimental engineering function within Arcadia involves creative and iterative implementation of scientific tools to solve biological research problems, with a particular focus on developing user-friendly, scalable solutions for the most critical and widely-used research tools in the company.

We are seeking an experienced Biochemist to join our experimental engineering team at Arcadia. The Biochemist will spearhead our efforts in drug discovery and development, with a core focus on the expression, purification, and characterization of recombinant proteins alongside the development and optimization of biochemical assays. The Biochemist will be a technical expert in protein biochemistry applied across various industrial and research contexts, and demonstrate a solid understanding of protein structure-function relationships, making significant contributions to the advancement of our biotechnological applications.

• Design, conduct, and oversee experiments for novel drug target identification, validation, and characterization, focusing on protein biochemistry, enzymology, and enzyme engineering
• Develop, optimize, and implement innovative biochemical assays for the screening and characterization of small molecules or biologics, leveraging high-throughput and automation capabilities when applicable
• Utilize a variety of chromatographic and biophysical techniques to express, purify, and characterize recombinant proteins from common heterologous expression systems, achieving high purity and yield
• Analyze and interpret complex data from enzyme kinetics, ligand-binding studies, protein-protein interactions, and provide expert advice on bioprocess improvements
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including Discovery and Translation, to deliver project goals and advance research objectives
• Solicit and address feedback from users; prioritize, and communicate current and future capabilities to users; clearly communicate the time/resource commitment needed to add functionality to assays, adapt protocols for novel use cases, etc.
• Keep detailed experimental records and documentation (SOPs) for all workflows. Synthesize ideas, data, and findings into fully open-access pubs and engage with the scientific community to maximize impact and garner feedback that improves the work

• Ph.D. or equivalent in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biology, Synthetic Biology, Chemistry, or a related field, complemented by 2-4 years of relevant industry experience
• Hands-on technical experience in the following areas: protein engineering, enzyme mechanism/kinetics, assay development, protein production systems at medium and pilot-scale, and protein expression, purification, and characterization
• Strong technical knowledge and hands-on experience with recombinant protein expression systems (bacterial, yeast, insect, and mammalian) and purification techniques required
• Proficiency in protein characterization methods, with a solid understanding of protein chemistry and enzyme kinetics required
• Effective project management ability demonstrated by ability to scope work with key stakeholders, create milestones and timelines, identify blockers
• Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic setting, preferably in start-ups
• An excellent verbal and written science communicator for both general and technical audiences. We expect all scientists to actively draft and openly publish their lessons
• Experience working with cross-functional teams with different working styles and types of expertise. Experience using project management software (Airtable, Monday, Asana, Notion) is a strong plus

Interested applicants should apply using the link below and include a CV, brief cover letter, and answer the required supplemental questions.

The expected salary range is $150,000-$175,000 per year with generous equity and benefits, depending on experience level. The position will require the individual to be on-site at our Berkeley, California headquarters. We will review applications on a rolling basis, and the job will remain open until the position is filled.

Arcadia Science is an equal opportunity workplace; we welcome people from all backgrounds and communities. We provide competitive compensation and practical benefits to keep you happy and healthy so that you can do your best work. Please note that an offer of employment from Arcadia is contingent upon the successful clearance of a reference and background check.