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Research Associate, Early Stage R&D

New York, New York

Helaina is a VC-backed biotech startup creating a new category of functional food products.

Our vision is to bring the functional properties of human proteins to food. Helaina will be the first company to put human milk proteins into food, defining a new category of consumer nutrition products focused on supporting immunity. We see a range of opportunities to use our breast milk proteins to enhance other types of functional foods for all segments of the population.

Helaina is backed by top VCs in the industry including Spark Capital, Siam Capital, Primary Venture Partners, and Plum Alley. We are a team of change-makers looking for our next team member who is intensely passionate about advancing synthetic biology for food and beverage products and redefining the future of nutrition.

About the Team:

Helaina is a team brought together by the belief that health and developmental outcomes of all infants can be improved through nutritional options closest to breast milk. Our team is revolutionizing the infant nutrition space by developing a food product meant to uniquely support babies in their earliest stages. Helaina’s R&D ecosystem harnesses the power of naturally occurring biological processes in tandem with modern advances in the space of synthetic biology, fermentation, and improved industrial processing. 

We are a fast-paced startup looking for our next team member who is intensely passionate about advancing synthetic biology for food and beverage products and redefining the future of nutrition.

About the Job:

In this role, you will work in our lab to provide support to the Design and Build unit of the Early Stage Research & Development team. The successful candidate will be a hands-on, motivated self-starter with a strong sense of initiative. You will be responsible for building, verifying and troubleshooting plasmids and strains, as well as maintaining glycerol stocks. Opportunities for cross-training in other departments will also be provided.  

What You’ll Do:

  • Work with other members of the Early Stage R&D team on experiments and data analysis. 
  • Design and build plasmids using cloning techniques such as Gibson Assembly, Golden Gate Assembly and Ligation. Analyze sequencing data to confirm plasmid constructions. 
  • Use CRISPR to build strains with desired interventions.   
  • Troubleshoot experiments and propose alternate strategies to challenges.
  • Keep careful records of experiments and communicate results in a timely and effective manner. Process data from experiments to draw insightful conclusions.  
  • Organize and maintain DNA and glycerol stocks. Collaborate with other members of the R&D team to coordinate transfer of glycerol stocks and results.
  • Read papers to understand the biology behind relevant interventions and present this information at meetings. Keep up with current developments in the field. 

About You:

  • You have a BSc in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemical Biology, Molecular Biology, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology or related fields
  • You have 2+ years of industry experience performing molecular biology workflows on the bench
  • You are proficient in DNA sequence analysis, data recording and organization.  
  • You are proficient in molecular biology techniques for plasmid assembly: restriction digest and ligation, Gibson Assembly, Golden Gate Assembly
  • You are familiar with CRISPR tools and protocols. 
  • You are able to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team environment to deliver high-quality, consistent data in a timely manner
  • You have excellent oral and written communication skills with high attention to detail
  • You bring an enthusiastic and curious attitude to work every day
  • You are energetic, creative, and personally motivated by the future of food and/or biological products

Compensation is market-competitive with a yearly cash base of $65k - $75k plus equity.

Benefits:

Helaina was founded on the belief that families should have freedom of choice.  We are committed to providing an inclusive workplace that does just that, supporting our team's health, wellbeing and professional development at every stage and milestone.  We are proud to offer comprehensive health care, generous parental leave and childcare reimbursement, equity packages and more.  A few highlights include:

  • Full medical, vision and dental coverage
  • Short and long term disability insurance coverage
  • 401k match (up to 3%)
  • Unlimited vacation days, including an all-company holiday between Christmas and New Year
  • Paid Parental Leave for both parents + flexible return to work program
  • Childcare reimbursement program
  • Commuter Benefits
  • Leadership Development coaching through BetterUp

 

Visit us at https://www.myhelaina.com/news to learn more about Helaina.

 

Helaina is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  

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 Helaina 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 anyway.  You may just be the strongest candidate for this or other roles.  For more information, please contact careers@myhelaina.com.  

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