Senior Fermentation & Recovery Scientist

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

Benefits offered by this job

Exceptional health benefits.

Generous paid time off, sick time off,

A culture where you'll belong - we are

Job summary

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, CA seeks a Senior Research Associate to support bench and pilot-scale fermentation, recovery, and purification of biofuels, biochemicals, and proteins, scaling from shake flasks to 300 L. You will operate bioreactors, manage sampling, and document results for project teams.

The role includes BSL-2 lab work with bacterial and mammalian cell cultures, collaboration across disciplines, and adherence to SOPs and batch records.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of experience in fermentation or bioprocessing.
• Hands-on with bioreactors and downstream processing equipment.
• Ability to follow SOPs and batch records.
• Strong documentation and data analysis skills.
• Proficiency with common software (spreadsheets, presentations).
• Must be able to frequently lift up to 50 pounds.

Responsibilities

• Execute fermentation process development and scale-up activities.
• Perform hands-on fermentation and recovery operations from bench to 300 L pilot scale.
• Prepare media, reagents, equipment, and batch records.
• Operate bioreactors, manage inoculation, sampling, feeding, and process monitoring.
• Operate and troubleshoot bioreactors, centrifuges, filtration systems, and chromatography equipment.
• Perform recovery and purification processes, including centrifugation and chromatography.
• Maintain experimental records, analyze data, identify trends, and communicate results.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across fermentation, recovery, biomass deconstruction, and analytics.

Skills

Fermentation

Bioprocessing

Biorecovery

Batch records

SOP adherence

Data analysis

Communication

Education

Advanced degree in Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Biochemistry, Microbiology, or related field

Tools

HPLC

GC

Mass spectrometry

Centrifuges

Chromatography

Job description

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, CA seeks a Senior Research Associate to support bench and pilot-scale fermentation, recovery, and purification of biofuels, biochemicals, and proteins, scaling from shake flasks to 300 L. You will operate bioreactors, manage sampling, and document results for project teams.

The role includes BSL-2 lab work with bacterial and mammalian cell cultures, collaboration across disciplines, and adherence to SOPs and batch records.