Job Title: Scientist, Transformation

Reporting to: Lead, Transformation

Location: RTP, Durham, NC

 

About Pairwise:

Pairwise is a mission-driven, food+tech company dedicated to building a healthier world through better fruits and vegetables. Pairwise was founded in 2017 by scientists at Harvard University, MIT, and Broad Institute who are eminent in the field of gene editing, as well as biotechnology industry pioneers. Our team is tuned in to consumer food trends, and we believe that consumers deserve more variety and innovation in their fresh food choices. We are primed to deliver that innovation through one of the best gene-editing platforms in food and agriculture. Pairwise has an exclusive 5-year research collaboration with Bayer to develop products in corn, soybean, wheat, canola, and cotton. Plus, Pairwise is developing new types of leafy greens, berries, and stone fruit, with the first product expected in late 2022. Pairwise is based in the start-up friendly Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina.

 

About This Role:  

Pairwise is seeking a highly motivated, organized, collaborative and innovative scientist to support development of new transformation systems in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate with ~2 years of relevant experience, in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience in plant tissue culture and genetic transformation will work with a dynamic team of researchers focused on making better fruits.  The individual with strong foundation and long-standing interest in genetic transformation and plant tissue, organ and cell culture research will be preferred for the role. In this role, the individual will be expected to work under limited supervision while leading multiple research projects focused on transformation system establishment and improvement in caneberries.

 

Essential Functions:

·       Lead the research projects on transformation system development and improvements.

·       Invent new methods to support the plant production pipeline for caneberries.

·       Propose new ideas, create research plans, milestones and timelines.

·       Design, execute, track experiments, collect and record observations, share with the key stakeholders in timely manner.

·       Ensure effective execution of research plans within the desired timelines and alignment to company goals.

·       Work closely with transformation and cross functional teams to develop experimental strategy related to plant tissue culture and transformation using Agrobacterium in caneberries and execute them.

·       Focus on driving intellectual property strategies for the transformation team.

·       Successfully transfer new methods to other researchers and translate into production pipeline.

·       Mentor and train the transformation team members on new systems and strategies.

 

Required Education & Experience:

·       2 years’ experience in a plant transformation and degree in plant biology, plant science, plant biotechnology, or related subject. PhD strongly preferred, or master’s plus work experience with proven ability to design and execute scientifically rigorous experiments and to effectively communicate scientific concepts and data to technical and non-technical audiences.

·       Hands-on experience and knowledge of fundamentals of plant tissue culture and transformation.

·       Experience in developing outcome driven research plans and successful execution.

·       Demonstrated ability to develop transformation systems in variety of plant species, especially woody plants.

·       Experience in automation, establishing and running transgenic or gene edited commercial plant production pipeline.

·       Proven ability to handle multiple projects and easy transitioning to new assignments in rapidly changing work environment.

·       Demonstrated ability to handle both project management and scientific experiments in lab.

·       Capable of proactively identifying problem research areas, troubleshooting and finding solutions.

·       Demonstrated knowledge and experience keeping accurate scientific records via LIMs and laboratory notebooks.

·       Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a large lab setting and to work independently on individual experiments.                 

·       Excellent organization, oral and written communication.

 

Offerings:

·       Comprehensive Benefits Plan, including Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA/FSA, 401k, Life Insurance, Short-Term & Long-Term Disability, and more!

·       Flexible PTO (use what you need, when you need it), in addition to company holidays.

·       Casual work environment.

·       Mission-driven organization focused on creating healthier fruits and veggies.

·       A cutting-edge, driven community looking to lead the industry in innovation and nutrition.

EEO Statement:
We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Tegus we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.