The urgent need for innovations in sustainable agriculture

Our global food supply is facing multiple threats: climate change is decimating crop yields, chemical fertilizers and pesticides are destroying the environment, and a growing population means more mouths to feed. Farmers urgently need sustainable technologies to produce more food. Quorum Bio is a team of scientists responding to this clarion call by developing biological farm inputs. Using the latest advances in synthetic biology, we engineer microbes to replace chemical fertilizers, confer crop resilience to climate stress such as drought, and enhance carbon dioxide storage in soil. We are an early stage, venture-backed company inspired by research at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and supported by the Activate Fellowship (www.Activate.org). Our team is looking for a plant microbiologist to lead our microbial discovery program.

Role Summary

We are hiring a plant microbiologist to work closely with our synthetic biology team on our development of plant growth-promoting microbial strains. You will be responsible for growing crops, isolating and characterizing microbial strains, and measuring plant colonization and plant growth-promoting activity. This is an excellent position for an early career scientist looking to jump start their career with an influential role in an ambitious startup that allows them to conduct cutting-edge science focused on the climate and biodiversity crises.

Qualifications

● At minimum, B.S. + 5 years, M.S. + 3 years, or Ph.D. + 0 years of work experience in agronomy, plant biology, plant microbiology

● Experience with isolation and characterization of soil and plant-associated microbes is required

● Experience with bioinformatics and omics methods, especially genetic sequencing pipelines, is highly desired

● Familiarity with fluorescence microscopy of plant organs, high-throughput biochemical assays, and small molecule analytical methods such as LC/GC-MS will strengthen the application

Main Responsibilities

● Design weekly research work plans with the CEO and independently execute them

● Maintain a laboratory notebook, prepare research reports, and deliver presentations

● Support grant writing efforts

● Support hiring new team members

● Attend meetings with advisers and other stakeholders

● Attend conferences, monitor research literature, and correspond with experts in plant microbiome science to ensure that our company remains at the forefront of the field

Compensation

We offer salary and equity that are competitive with other pre-seed and seed stage startups. 

Base salary range: $80,000 - $150,000

We value diversity

We believe that a diverse team is necessary to cultivate company culture that attracts highly qualified team members and promotes their success and satisfaction.

Quorum Bio is supported by:

The US Dept. of Agriculture, Activate Fellowship, Impact Science Ventures, The Collaborative Fund, Gigascale Capital, and New Energy New York.