Sr Research Associate/ Scientist, Enzyme Development

About ZymoChem

ZymoChem is pioneering breakthrough science for a fossil-free future. We are building bio-based materials that make everyday products better for people and the planet, accelerating the world’s transition to a true zero-carbon economy.

Backed by $65M in funding from global leaders including lululemon, Toyota Ventures, Breakout Ventures, and major U.S. government agencies (DOE, DOD), ZymoChem is scaling rapidly. With our Series B anticipated in early 2026, we are expanding across all teams to accelerate the commercialization of our products.

At ZymoChem, our culture is rooted in curiosity, innovation, and collaboration. We tackle complex scientific challenges with determination and succeed because of the strength of our diverse, multidisciplinary teams working toward a bold mission. As a Certified B Corporation and Public Benefit Corporation, we hold ourselves accountable not only to scientific and commercial excellence, but also to creating measurable impact for people and the planet. If you are motivated by advancing science, addressing climate-scale challenges, and shaping the future of sustainable materials, ZymoChem offers the opportunity to make a lasting difference.

Our Mission: To catalyze a real-zero economy with drop-in, bio-based solutions.

Our Vision: To live in a world in which the goods we depend on every day are bio-manufactured from 100% renewable materials and designed for a sustainable economy - without compromise.

Our Values: Lead with Compassion, Aspire Collectively, Evolve Continuously, Innovate with Impact, Scale Sustainably

Position Summary

The Enzyme Development Sr. Research Associate / Scientist I joins an interdisciplinary team working on the biocatalytic foundation of Zymochem.  The successful candidate will work in a fast-paced, goal-oriented environment and advance their career at the cutting edge of synthetic biology.  We are looking for you if you are a curious problem-solver with an interest in the nuts-and-bolts of challenging biocatalysts.  We also want a collaborative spirit, who will support multiple stages in the R&D pipeline.  The successful candidate will exercise both their knowledge and creativity to characterize Zymochem’s C2 pathways and engineer improvements in them.

Department Summary

The Enzyme Development Team characterizes and optimizes enzymes across purified proteins, lysates, and production strains by developing assays to measure kinetics, substrate scope, and biophysical properties. They build company-wide knowledge of enzyme requirements and sensitivities, including activation, cofactors, pH, solubility, inhibition, and temperature stability, while collaborating with other teams to identify factors that could limit in vivo production. The team also designs and executes screening campaigns to discover or engineer enzymes that overcome these limitations and drive improved performance in our products.

Responsibilities

• The primary responsibility of this role will be to own the execution of enzyme characterization and engineering campaigns – primarily in the lab, but also with computational tools.  Within 3 months you will become familiar with Zymochem’s standard workflows for protein characterization and engineering.  Within 6 months, you will be owning the DBTL cycle for your own projects, with guidance and mentorship from the broader team.
  • Design - Connect sequence-structure-function with computational tools, and use this to design the DNA library that will be used in the protein engineering campaign.  
  • Build - Library construction, cloning, and QC. 
  • Test - More than 50% of your time will be spent testing proteins.  This will include both library screening and protein purification + characterization.  Additional responsibilities in this role will be developing and refining high-throughput screens, and using Automation to improve assay throughput. 
  • Learn - Integrating the data from the protein engineering & characterization into testable insights to inform further improvements. You will then work collaboratively with Biology, Strain engineering and Fermentation teams to apply those insights to improve strain productivity. 
• When conducting these specific responsibilities, you will be expected to perform research with experimental rigor and to communicate the findings clearly
  • Gather and analyze data, discuss with team members to develop next steps and new ideas, and present findings to the broader team. 
  • Clearly document and maintain laboratory notebooks and computer documentation and protocols
  • Research, read, comprehend, and summarize relevant scientific literature to support work, contribute to optimization of projects and to explore new technologies or strategies for improvement.
  • Participate and contribute ideas in group and project meetings or with other internal and external stakeholders. 
  • Assist with basic technical document revision and support scientists or engineers for projects, publications, and patents.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Qualifications 

• BS, MS, PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, (Bio)chemical Engineering, or related field.
• 1-6+ years of relevant industrial experience. Leveling dependent on overall experience between education and work experience.
• Essential skills and hands-on experience are in the specific operations of protein characterization and engineering:
  • Need to possess solid knowledge of biochemistry, enzyme mechanisms, and reaction dynamics.
  • Need to have strong basic molecular biology skills for cloning (PCR, Gibson, Golden Gate, etc.).  Experience making medium or large libraries a plus.  
  • Experience in protein purification, biophysical characterization and enzyme kinetic characterization.  
  • Experience developing new assays and / or troubleshooting existing ones. 
  • Experience developing and executing screens & selections for collections of proteins (low-, med-, or high-throughput).
  • Strong data analysis skills.  We want you if you can integrate a lot of disparate data into a coherent picture, and if when the data leads you to a hypothesis your intuition is to plan an experiment to test it. 
• Nice-to-have skills that support this (let us know if this is you, but none are required):
  • Experience connecting sequence, structure, and function with SOTA computational tools (Eg. Rosetta, Schrodinger BioLuminate, etc.).  
  • Experience sifting through large databases (eg. NCBI, metagenomic databases) to identify candidate enzymes.
  • Experience building protocols for lab automation (BioMek, Opentrons, etc.).
  • Experience translating enzyme engineering goals to improve productivity in strains and fermentations.  
• And of course there are the skills every good researcher should have to thrive in a fast-paced environment: 
  • Rigorous attention to detail in experimental design, execution, variability, and reproducibility.
  • Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills – you will need to communicate to experts and non-experts with different expertise in a fast-paced environment.
  • Excellent time management skills, effective with multitasking, and an adept ability to improvise work plans while maintaining efficiency
• Ability to safely move up to 25 lbs between locations
• Ability to follow safety protocols and procedures

Culture and Benefits

We are a mission-driven team building the future of sustainable materials. At ZymoChem, you’ll work on bold ideas with smart, collaborative people while enjoying benefits that support you to have work & life balance. 

Full-time opportunities at ZymoChem come with: 

• Competitive pay range of $110,000-140,000 based on experience.
• Company stock options 
• 401(k) retirement plan (traditional and Roth) with up to 4% company match
• 100% Employee coverage on base medical, dental, and vision plans and up to 80% dependent coverage. and life and long-term disability insurance.
• Additional benefits include FSA, commuter, and supplemental life insurance.
• Flexible time off policy with 18 days Paid Time Off (PTO) per year and 11 paid company holidays per year.
• Relocation assistance may be agreed upon as well.
• Monthly Team all-hands and social events. 

If this opportunity sounds exciting and aligns with your career aspirations, we want to hear from you!  Please send your resume/CV and a cover letter through our website job posting.

Legal authorization to work in the United States is required. ZymoChem may agree to sponsor an individual for an employment visa immediately or in the future if there is a shortage of individuals with particular skills for this job.  In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.