Senior Bioprocess Engineer - Fermentation & Recovery

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 96,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous paid time off

Culture of belonging

Job summary

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory invites applications for a Senior Research Associate in the ABPDU to support bench and pilot-scale fermentation, recovery, and purification of biofuels and bioproducts.

The role scales processes from shake flasks to 300 L and requires operating bioreactors, performing experiments per SOPs, troubleshooting, analyzing data, and communicating results to supervisors and project teams.

Qualifications

• Two+ years fermentation/bioprocessing experience.
• Hands-on with bioreactors and downstream equipment.
• Follow SOPs and batch records; document data.
• Support pilot-scale operations under supervision.
• Proficient with common computer tools.
• Troubleshoot routine lab/process equipment.
• Strong organization and communication skills.
• Must lift up to 50 pounds.
• Advanced degree in relevant field preferred.

Responsibilities

• Execute fermentation process development and scale-up to 300 L.
• Perform bench-to-pilot fermentation and recovery operations.
• Prepare media, reagents, equipment, and batch records.
• Operate bioreactors; manage inoculation, sampling, feeding, and monitoring.
• Operate and troubleshoot bioreactors, centrifuges, filtration, and chromatography.
• Conduct recovery and purification steps including LLE and tangential flow filtration.
• Use HPLC, GC, and mass spectrometry for analytics.
• Maintain records; analyze data and present results.
• Perform BSL-2 work with bacterial/mammalian cultures.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across fermentation and analytics.
• Update SOPs and ensure safety and lab organization.
• Assist with general lab activities including inventory and purchasing.

Skills

Fermentation process development

Bioreactors operation

Downstream processing

SOPs and batch records

Data analysis

Troubleshooting

Documentation

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Physical stamina

Education

Advanced degree in Chemical/Bioengineering or related

Tools

HPLC

GC

Mass spectrometry

Centrifuges

Tangential flow filtration

Chromatography equipment

Job description

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory invites applications for a Senior Research Associate in the ABPDU to support bench and pilot-scale fermentation, recovery, and purification of biofuels and bioproducts.

The role scales processes from shake flasks to 300 L and requires operating bioreactors, performing experiments per SOPs, troubleshooting, analyzing data, and communicating results to supervisors and project teams.