Founded in 2018, Mi Terro is venture-backed synthetic biology and material science innovation company rethinking biology and reimagining the world. Mi Terro partners with nature to create never-before-imagined materials and products across industries – from agriculture to personal care, fashion to pharmaceuticals, and more. We power the creation of protein from low-value waste streams that would otherwise go to landfills and pollute our planet. It’s our strong belief that protein can be as soft and elegant as the finest and rarest types of cotton in the world: Giza 45 cotton/ Supima cotton.

 

Core Values:

At Mi Terro we believe that everyone has a critical role to play in how we change the future. We believe in empowering innovation through continuous learning while also hands-on converting low-value waste streams into high-quality protein. We believe in being stewards to the planet by leading through example in everything we do and putting the planet over profits. We believe in Building Community by fostering an environment of psychological safety and always striving for a team of “we”. And we are committed to delivering an exceptional product and experience, every single time.


 


HEAD OF R&D AND INNOVATION

Job Description:

We have an exciting opportunity available to a motivated and self-directed scientist who has experience working with protein textile fiber to lead our R&D efforts in polymer science and fiber development. The candidate will work in a highly interdisciplinary, fast-paced environment, and design, execute, and oversee experiments in areas of polymer physics and chemical engineering with a focus on material development, characterization, and fiber processing. 

Requirements:

  • Ph.D. in Polymer Physics, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or M.S. in these fields with 2-5 years of relevant industry experience

  • Experience with chemical characterization techniques including FTIR, DSC, TGA, and other spectroscopies, as well as tensile mechanical testing and characterization

  • Design, execute and oversee experimental plans to meet specific research milestones

  • Desire to learn and work collaboratively across different scientific disciplines to develop Mi Terro protein fibers, including molecular biology, polymer chemistry, and textile engineering

  • Basic knowledge of molecular biology and synthetic chemistry and/or industry experience in polymer extrusion is highly desirable

  • A passion to see a better future for our planet

  • ​​Ability to work well in a fast-paced start-up environment and balance multiple projects

  • Must provide proof of identification and eligibility to work in the United States of America

Responsibilities: 

  • Establishment of molecular level structure-function relationships between cross-linking sites density and mechanical properties of biocomposite fibers for textile applications, specifically as it applies to yarns and fabrics

  • Development and characterization of biopolymer fibers, including extrusion and green chemistry processes, mechanical and textile properties

  • Execution of research directions that serve the programmatic needs and provide deliverables for Mi Terro’s research and development milestones 

Bioprocess Design/ Fermentation Scientist

We have an exciting opportunity available to a motivated and self-directed post-doctoral level scientist with industry experience to help design and scale our bioprocess. The candidate is expected to be able to work independently and with our team to design and perform experiments to transition organisms from growth in shake flasks to bench-scale fermentation and ultimately through scale-up and commercial-scale manufacturing. The candidate will also interface with our green chemistry and material science fiber development platforms. The candidate will be leading experimental design, writing protocols, data collection, and data analysis.

 

Requirements: 

  • Ph.D. in chemical engineering, biotechnology, or microbiology; or M.S. in these fields with 2-5 years of relevant industry experience

  • Experience working with aseptic techniques and benchtop fermentation systems

  • Experience with downstream processing and basic analytical methods

  • Experience scaling fermentation processes from lab to industrial scale strongly preferred.

  • Experience with ELN and data analysis software is a plus

  • Ability to work well in a fast-paced start-up environment and balance multiple projects.

  • Skilled at employing software and statistical platforms for the analysis of large data sets (e.g. JMP, Tableau, Spotfire, or R and Python).

  • Must provide proof of identification and eligibility to work in the United States of America.

Responsibilities: 

  • Setup and operate bioreactor systems for fermentation and downstream processing

  • Preparation of SOPs for fermentation and downstream processing

  • Optimize strain and process for scale-up

  • Work collaboratively with other members of the bioengineering and fiber engineering teams

  • Provide mentorship and knowledge to junior scientists and research assistants

  • Present progress weekly to the cross-disciplinary team and company leadership to reach milestones and enable collaboration

     

    Molecular Biology / Protein Engineering

    We have an exciting opportunity available to a motivated researcher to help design and optimize recombinant proteins to be incorporated into our sustainable fibers. The candidate is expected to be able to work in a team to perform experiments related to protein engineering and production. The candidate will be collecting and analyzing data as well as establishing standard operating protocols.
     

    Requirements: 

    • Ph.D. in molecular biology, microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, or bioengineering or M.S. in these fields with 2-5 years of relevant industry experience

    • Experience with various molecular biology techniques

    • Experience with heterologous protein design, production, and purification at the lab-scale

    • Experience with basic bioanalytical characterization techniques

    Responsibilities: 

    • Engineer, express and characterize proteins using a variety of biochemical and biophysical techniques

    • Characterize proteins to understand relevant protein properties and stability under fiber processing conditions

    • Identify and develop procedures for improved production and purification of proteins from various organisms

    • Work collaboratively with other members of the bioengineering and fiber engineering teams

     

    WE OFFER GREAT PERKS

    • Fully covered medical insurance plan, and dental & vision coverage - as a material science and synthetic biotech company, we place great worth on our teams’ well-being
    • Competitive salaried compensation - we value our employees and show it
    • Equity option - we want every employee to be a stakeholder
    • 401k plan - we facilitate your retirement goals
    • Fun and motivating working environment
    • Be recognized in numerous prestigious publications and awards
    • Be the savior of our planet. Democratize the most expensive and finest cotton through the power of protein!

     

    *If you are interested in becoming part of our journey, send us your CV to [email protected] and tell us (as text, videos, audio…) why you are the right person for our team. We're looking forward to getting to know you!*