Chemist jobs in New Haven, CT

Company Description

Protein Evolution is leading AI-powered enzyme and chemical engineering to recycle plastic wastes. Our team is committed to groundbreaking solutions that enable the transition to a circular economy, reduce carbon emissions, and create a cleaner, healthier planet – helping companies, communities and governments meet their sustainability goals, while reducing their reliance on fossil fuels. We combine state of the art Artificial Intelligence with an ultra-high throughput Synthetic Biology Platform to engineer enzymes to break down plastic waste to create good-as-new plastic monomers. These enzymes are used in our proprietary process to break down end-of-life textile and plastic waste into the building blocks that make up new textile and plastic products.

Job Description

We are looking for a skilled and highly motivated candidate who is ready to solve complex, interdisciplinary problems. In this role, you will collaborate with chemical engineers on scaled processes, lead a research project in polymerization chemistries for various plastics, perform analytical chemistry experiments and analysis, synthesize chemicals and polymers, and be ready to assist in any other chemistry workflows. The successful candidate will have previous experience with both polymer and analytical chemistry. The position is an excellent opportunity to further develop chemistry expertise in a fast-paced environment. You will work closely with engineers, biologists, physicists, and leading industry experts.

The race to solve the problem of plastic waste is on and time is of the essence. In that spirit the ideal candidate would be excited to:

Develop an end-to-end recycling process at R&D scale, as a team
Explore polymerization chemistry for various plastics
Lead polymer synthesis efforts for infinitely recyclable plastics
Propose and implement process improvements around enzymatic reactions and chemical separations
Design novel separation processes for various depolymerized plastics
Interpret experimental data to drive experimental plans and document results
Identify, quantify, and characterize unknown chemical contaminants using state-of-the-art analytical techniques
Effectively communicate results and implications of experiments to engineers
Interface with a team of chemical and mechanical engineers to rapidly prototype process solutions

Qualifications

Ph.D. in polymer chemistry, chemistry, or related field or B.S./M.S. with a minimum of 2 years of relevant industry chemistry experience
Research or projects that demonstrate ability to find simple, fast ways to solve unstructured complex problems
Experience with analytical chemistry equipment and analysis including UPLC, GC-MS, FTIR, NMR, and other state-of-the-art equipment

Additional Information

We offer great perks:

Fully covered medical insurance plan including dental & vision - we place great value on the well-being of our team members!
Competitive salaried compensation - we value our employees and show it
Highly competitive equity compensation - we want every employee to be a stakeholder
Pre-tax commuter benefits - we make your commute more reasonable
Free onsite meals kitchen stocked with snacks
401k plan - we facilitate your retirement goals

Protein Evolution is an E-Verify and equal opportunity employer regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability or Veteran status. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.