Lead Scientist, Melanin & Biopolymer Platform

c1·in; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Benefits package

Equal opportunity employer

Job summary

c1·in is seeking a PhD scientist to own the product development journey from biomass to melanin products, starting with cosmetic ingredients and expanding to biopolymers and small molecules for food and agriculture. You will design experiments, run instruments, interpret data, write specifications, and manage people and partners to scale the product.

This hands-on, end-to-end role focuses on melanin for cosmetics with future expansion to related biopolymers.

Qualifications

• PhD in chemistry, chemical/biochemical engineering, materials science, biotechnology, pharmaceutical sciences or closely related field.
• 5+ years of post-PhD industry experience developing bio-based materials, pigments, biopolymers or specialty ingredients with at least one product scaled.
• Hands-on downstream processing: extraction, purification, solid-liquid separation, membranes, drying and particle engineering.
• Formulation experience with dispersions, powders or actives in cosmetic/personal-care formats.
• Proficiency in experimental design, statistics and data analysis (JMP, Minitab, R or Python).
• Track record of end-to-end project management: scope, budget, timeline, risk, cross-functional teams.
• Experience with contract manufacturers, CROs or toll processors including tech transfer and batch release.
• Excellent documentation and communication; able to present to non-scientists.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end product development from biomass to melanin-based cosmetics and biopolymers.
• Design experiments and run analytical methods (UV‑Vis/NIR, FTIR/Raman, HPLC/UPLC, LC‑MS, GC‑MS, NMR) and write specifications.
• Lead DoE/QbD and scale-up activities from bench to pilot to commercial scales.
• Manage tech transfer, batch records and supplier collaborations with CMOs and CROs.
• Develop and manage product roadmaps, timelines and budgets; report to leadership.

Skills

DoE

Statistics

Data analysis

Project management

Tech transfer

Documentation

Education

PhD in chemistry or related field

Tools

JMP

Minitab

R

Python

HPLC/UPLC

Job description

c1·in is seeking a PhD scientist to own the product development journey from biomass to melanin products, starting with cosmetic ingredients and expanding to biopolymers and small molecules for food and agriculture. You will design experiments, run instruments, interpret data, write specifications, and manage people and partners to scale the product.

This hands-on, end-to-end role focuses on melanin for cosmetics with future expansion to related biopolymers.