About the venture 

Welcome to Bright Biotech, where innovation meets purpose, and a brighter future comes to life! Our mission is to pioneer a transformative era of protein production by unleashing the full genetic potential of nature's green marvels, the tobacco plant chloroplasts, to produce high-impact recombinant proteins without the need for traditional bioreactors or costly infrastructure.

Rooted in our commitment to sustainability, we dedicate our novel molecular farming to drive the growth of cellular agriculture by liberating it from the weight of prohibitive costs and scarce growth factors needed to multiply and grow cultured meat cells.

Our true strength lies in our people – a team of passionate innovators, dreamers, and pioneers, who thrive on collaboration and curiosity. Together, we push boundaries and scale new heights, always driven by the shared goal of shaping a brighter, more sustainable future for generations to come.

So, join us on this epic journey, where your ideas take flight and your determination lights the way. At Bright Biotech, we invite you to be part of a mission that goes beyond business; it's a mission of purpose, of pioneering progress, and of leaving a lasting legacy on our planet.

About the role 

As a Protein Scientist at Bright Biotech, you will be a pivotal figure in our expansion, driving our growth through your expertise. Your primary responsibility will be to lead the development and optimisation of downstream processes for extracting, refolding, purifying, and characterising valuable proteins produced in plant chloroplasts, with a focus on growth factors for cellular agriculture.

What success looks like 

Downstream Process Design and Optimisation

• Design and optimise downstream processes for the extraction, purification, and characterisation of target proteins produced in plant chloroplasts.
• Develop and implement purification strategies to achieve high yields and purity of proteins while maintaining their biological activity.
• Evaluate and select appropriate chromatography, filtration, and other separation techniques to achieve desired protein purification goals.
• Utilise analytical tools and techniques to characterise purified proteins, including SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, ELISA, and mass spectrometry.

Refolding to Restore Biological Activity

• Develop refolding strategies to restore the biological activity of denatured or misfolded proteins, if applicable.
• Design and implement refolding protocols to maximise the recovery of functional proteins during downstream processing.

Scale-Up and Integration

• Conduct experiments and process scale-up studies to transfer laboratory-scale processes to larger production scales.
• Collaborate with the upstream team to ensure seamless integration between upstream and downstream processes.
• Troubleshoot technical issues related to downstream processing, including refolding, and propose innovative solutions.

Record Keeping, Stay Updated and Compliance

• Maintain accurate and detailed records of experiments, data analysis, and process parameters.
• Stay updated with the latest advancements and developments in downstream processing techniques, including refolding strategies, and apply them to improve process efficiency.
• Ensure compliance with relevant safety and regulatory guidelines throughout the downstream process development.

What you need to be great at the job 

• A Ph.D. or Master's degree in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, or a related field.
• Proven experience in downstream processing, redox protein refolding, purification, and characterisation of proteins.
• Strong knowledge of chromatography techniques (affinity, ion exchange, size exclusion), filtration methods, and protein analytical methods.
• Proficiency in protein characterisation techniques such as SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, ELISA, and mass spectrometry.
• Familiarity with process scale-up and tech transfer from laboratory-scale to commercial production.
• Experience with statistical analysis and design of experiments (DOE) for process optimisation is highly desirable.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to troubleshoot technical challenges independently.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively within a multidisciplinary team environment.
• Detail-oriented approach with a focus on accuracy and data integrity.

Join us on our journey of purpose, progress, and lasting impact. Be a driving force in our quest to reshape the future of biotechnology and sustainable agriculture at Bright Biotech!