Associate Scientist Jobs in Decatur, GA (NOW HIRING)

About the Role:

The Scientist / Associate Principal Scientist - Biotransformation contributes advanced technical expertise to support R&D projects, focusing on utilizing comprehensive knowledge to drive scientific innovation and problem-solving within the team. This role supports new product development and process improvement initiatives to ensure high standards of research quality and compliance.

Accountabilities:

• Conduct research to support new product development and process improvement projects, applying comprehensive scientific knowledge to solve challenges within the team.
• Provide technical guidance to junior team members, sharing insights and promoting best practices in R&D.
• Assist project teams in designing experiments and methodologies, ensuring adherence to scientific and regulatory standards.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams in Innovation & R&D to apply research findings to product development and process improvements, supporting team-wide priorities and targets.
• Stay informed of industry trends and emerging technologies to assess their potential impact on the team's R&D activities, making suggestions to management about new opportunities.
• Support intellectual property development within the team by contributing to patents, publications and technical presentations.
• Participate in technical discussions and project reviews with management, offering insights and recommendations to support team objectives.

Skills / Core Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; may be working towards a professional qualification.
• Comprehensive knowledge of Product / Process Research & Development procedures, with full knowledge of methodologies, processes, practices, and atypical issues within product and process development in the food and beverage industry.
• Largely able to operate independently, though may seek guidance on atypical or complex product- or process-related issues. Able to coach juniors on technical and operational matters in a specialism.
• Accountable for own targets and reviewing work of juniors.
• Frequently conducts detailed analysis and investigation to identify innovative solutions for Product / Process R&D problems or needs, determine best options or suggest improvements to existing methods.
• This role involves initiating communication with cross-functional teams to address and resolve shared issues, collaborate on processes, and interpret or clarify technical information to enhance understanding.

Preferred skills - Biotransformation team:

• Ph.D. in Microbiology, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Biochemical Engineering, Molecular Biology, or a related discipline preferred, with significant experience in the food and beverage, biotechnology, or pharmaceutical industry.

• As a member of the Genetics and Fermentation team in Ingredient R&D, this role requires subject matter expertise and hands-on experience in strain discovery, microbial strain engineering, classical mutagenesis, microbial physiology, CRISPR, and other genome editing tools.
• Strong, hands-on experience in DNA/RNA isolation, PCR/qPCR, plasmid construction, vector design, cloning (restriction enzyme, Gibson Assembly, Golden Gate), transformation, conjugation, electroporation, sequencing analysis, recombinant protein expression, and gene expression analysis.
• Experience in host strain development, mutant library construction, phenotype screening, genotype-phenotype correlation, enzyme characterization, and metabolic pathway optimization.
• Good understanding of and hands-on experience in microbial fermentation, bioprocess development, and downstream processing as they relate to laboratory- and pilot-scale process development and optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to design, execute, analyze, and troubleshoot molecular biology and fermentation experiments, maintain accurate laboratory documentation, and communicate technical findings through reports, presentations, patents, and scientific publications.
• Lives T&L Values (Put the Customer First, Empower Our People, Win as One, Create a Better Future).
• Demonstrates and fosters T&L foundational elements (Safety, Integrity, Respect).

What we can offer you

Tate & Lyle complies with all local/state regulations requiring salary range transparency. When determining final compensation, we take into consideration: skillset, job scope, knowledge, prior experience, cost of living, market data, budget availability, and other factors as permitted by law.

The salary range for this position is:

• Scientist: $84,000 - $95,000.
• Associate Principal: $104,000 - $119,000.

In addition to competitive pay, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package that includes but is not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, Vision coverages

• Paid time off package, including vacation, sick time, and 16 weeks of paid parental leave

• 401K with company match

• Company paid life insurance

• Additional benefits at not cost to employee such as:Lifestyle Spending Account, Identity Theft protection, Employee Assistance Program, telemedicine and more!

In addition to your Total Rewards, culture and ED&I are very important to Tate & Lyle. We offermultiple Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that support various communities.

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California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA")

The Company is committed to complying with the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA") and all data privacy and laws in the jurisdictions in which it recruits and hires employees. We collect the following categories of personal information for the purpose of hiring the best qualified applicants and to comply with applicable employment laws: Name and contact information; Job preference and work availability; Social Security Number and/or other identification information; Education and qualifications; Employment history and experience; Military service; Reference and background check information, including relevant criminal history and credit history; Social media information; Pre-employment test results; Post-offer medical examination information and results, including drug test results; Voluntary self-disclosure information regarding minority, veteran, and disability status; and Information provided by you during the hiring process.