Research Associate I

Threshold Enterprises; Scotts Valley (CA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Threshold Enterprises in Scotts Valley, CA is seeking a research-focused professional to analyze literature on dietary ingredients and botanicals. You will support new product development, maintain literature for product literature, and ensure FDA guidance compliance.

Prepare summaries and substantiations while collaborating across departments and with suppliers. The role emphasizes literature review, product substantiation, and developing material specs with safety considerations.

Qualifications

• M.S. in nutrition, food science, biological sciences or related field or a B.S./B.A. with at least 3 years work experience.
• Strong understanding of human physiology and biological processes related to nutritional ingredients.
• Experience with botanicals or natural products.
• Experience conducting literature searches and summarizing scientific research articles.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Basic understanding of analytical chemistry methods and data review.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Perform thorough research and analysis of scientific literature for dietary ingredients and supplements.
• Prepare written research summaries and develop marketing, sales, and educational collateral.
• Contribute documentation for product substantiations and structure‑function claims.
• Support development of raw material and product specifications via literature research.
• Collaborate internally and with external resources to meet company goals.
• Support QA and QC compliance projects with ongoing research.
• Identify marker compounds and justify botanical ingredient ranges.

Skills

Literature searches

Written & oral communication

Botanicals / natural products

Physiology knowledge

Analytical chemistry basics

Education

M.S. in nutrition, food science, biological sciences or related field

B.S./B.A. with at least 3 years work experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Details

Location: Scotts Valley Headquarters - Scotts Valley, CA 95066
Position Type: Full Time
Education Level: M.S.
Salary Range: $25.00 - $27.00 Hourly
Travel Percentage: None
Job Shift: Day
Job Category: Research

Summary of Job Duties

Perform thorough research and analysis of scientific literature for active dietary ingredients and nutritional supplement products to support new product development, maintenance of existing product literature and collateral, and compliance of FDA regulations and guidance. Prepare written research summaries and collaboratively develop marketing, sales and educational collateral. Contribute well‑written documentation for product substantiations, which includes reviewing and justifying structure‑function claims. Support the development of raw material and product specifications, with a particular emphasis on literature research of active constituents in complex botanical ingredients. Will collaborate intra‑ and inter‑departmentally, in addition to working with out‑of‑house resources, to achieve company goals.

Specific Job Duties

• Support product formulation research
• Work cross‑functionally to support product development & innovation
• Product substantiation
• Structure‑function claims
• Dosage rationale & suggested use instructions
• Educational literature
• Marketing and Sales promotional collateral
• Collaborate with ingredient suppliers
• Directly communicate with potential suppliers
• Investigate innovative new materials and formulas
• Provide ongoing research support for QA and QC compliance projects
• Marker compound identification and rationale for botanical ingredients
• Develop raw material specifications with ranges based on available data and safety research
• Perform all other tasks as assigned by Threshold management

Minimum Qualifications Required

• M.S. in nutrition, food science, biological sciences or related field, or B.S./B.A. with at least 3 years work experience
• Strong understanding of human physiology and biological processes, especially in relation to essential nutritional ingredients
• Experience working with botanicals or natural products
• Experience conducting literature searches and analyzing and summarizing scientific research articles
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Basic understanding of common analytical chemistry methods and experience reviewing data from such methods
• Well‑versed in Microsoft Office

Desired Skills and/or Training

• Three years of experience in FDA regulated industry
• M.S., work experience, or academic coursework in food science, nutritional science, or physiology
• Interest and experience in nutrition, natural products, dietary supplements, and/or herbal medicine