Position Purpose
The Research Scientist specialized in Biochemistry will support early discovery and screening activities in biologicals, including peptides, biomolecules, and microbial-derived compounds. The role focuses on biochemical characterization, mechanistic studies, and development of robust in vitro screening methods to advance promising candidates from discovery into early development for applications in crop protection, crop growth enhancement, nutrient use efficiency, and abiotic stress management. The position requires strong biochemical expertise, hands-on laboratory experience, and close collaboration with microbiology, molecular biology, formulation, and project management teams to enable data-driven progression of candidates aligned with the Biologicals R&D strategy.
Key Responsibilities:
Operational
- Develop, optimize, validate biochemical screening assays to evaluate e.g. plant defense activation pathways, plant hormone production, stress mitigation, enzyme inhibition.
- High throughput Screening of peptides, proteins, secondary metabolites, and microbial-derived biomolecules for their potential application in crop protection / crop growth / nutrient use efficiency / abiotic stress management.
- Design experiments using statistically sound methodologies to maximize efficiency and reliability.
- Execute laboratory experiments with high accuracy and reproducibility.
- Maintain rigorous documentation and data integrity standards.
- Analyze, interpret, and present results using appropriate statistical and visualization tools.
- Maintain contamination-free laboratory practices.
- Ensure proper handling, storage, and traceability of peptides, biomolecules, reagents, and microbial materials.
- Support establishment of long-term storage systems for biomolecules and reference standards.
- Assist in procurement and inventory management of reagents and laboratory consumables.
- Work closely with:
- Scientific characterization team and PPS team with establishment and running of mechanistical studies using biochemical tools.
- Early Research team by supporting other screening experiments whenever required
- Effectively communicate technical findings to multidisciplinary teams across global locations.
- Contribute to technical presentations and review meetings with concise summaries and clear visual data.
