Principal/Senior Research Scientist, Plant Molecular Biology

About Foray

Foray Bioscience is unlocking biomanufacturing for plant-based industries to protect and restore natural ecosystems. By cultivating plant cells outside of the plant, Foray produces a diverse array of molecules, materials, and seeds without traditional harvesting, thereby reducing pressure on natural resources. Our technology platform enables plant-free cultivation, which is 100 times faster and uses over 80% less land than conventional methods. This process, driven by a predictive database, makes plant cell culture accessible to the 99% of species previously deemed too difficult to work with. Foray's no-harvest solution addresses the urgent need to combat biodiversity loss and ecological degradation, ensuring the continued availability of essential plant-based resources.

Company Culture

At the intersection of science, engineering, and strategy, we are driven by a shared passion for creating and translating innovative technologies to solve real-world problems. We embrace the unanswered questions and embark on developing novel solutions within a culture of camaraderie, empathy, and respect. Our growth mindset fuels our continuous learning, allowing us to tackle challenges with enthusiasm, scientific integrity, and humble curiosity. As we expand our team, we are looking for partners eager to grow with us on this journey.

About the Role

You will be a thought-partner and key contributor to a small, highly motivated team leveraging new and existing techniques in plant cell culture. In this role, you will be working closely with the Head of Research & Development and wet lab and dry lab scientific teams to define and execute research programs and develop our biology-driven commercial platform and products, shaping the trajectory of a new and exciting company in the climate biotech space. This position requires a hand-on self-starter who is adaptable to both independent and team work, a critical thinker and problem-solver, and a skilled communicator of scientific concepts to all kinds of audiences. You should be comfortable taking on new challenges and adaptable to the shifting goals and priorities of a startup environment.

Responsibilities

• Guide plant molecular biology strategy and development at Foray, designing workflows for epigenetic and transcriptional characterization and control, exploring methods to optimize genetic diversity and stability, and connecting the dots between the molecular and physiological scales

• Work closely with the Head of Research & Development to help shape technical roadmaps, develop research programs, and identify key technical milestones

• Lead the design and execution of internal and external-facing projects leveraging biomolecular methods to improve plant cell culture system performance

• Lead research and development programs, for example, epigenetic screening and control of cell lines, transcriptional control of differentiation, increasing success rates for synthetic seeds, or developing fate maps

• Leverage knowledge of plant molecular biology, plant biochemistry and metabolism, plant developmental biology, signaling, and gene expression to drive desired plant outcomes through a combination of first principles and experiments

• Contribute to the development of analytical tools for culture assessment, improvement, and monitoring, working closely with data science and engineering team

• Support the scale-up of plant cell culture processes in bioreactor systems

• Mentor and coach incoming employees on molecular biology protocols, culture systems, and analytical workflows

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in molecular biology, plant biology, cell biology, plant physiology, plant biochemistry, developmental biology, or related fields

• Preferred: 5+ years industrial research experience involving plant cell culture, plant tissue culture, biomanufacturing, or similar

• Preferred: portfolio of peer-reviewed research work

• Nice-to-have: previous experience in an early-stage company

• Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Skills & Attributes

• Demonstrated experience working with aseptic technique and a diverse range of plant molecular biology techniques.

• Expertise in designing experiments, conducting statistical analysis, and managing omics data.

• Strong understanding of plant biochemistry and metabolism, epigenetic and transcriptional characterization and control, plant developmental biology, signaling, and physiology.

• Track record of mentoring scientists or leading project collaborators/customers.

• Preferred: Experience with proteomics, mass spectrometry, TAC-seq, and/or Hi-C.

• Preferred: Familiarity with and experience using bioreactor systems.

• Preferred: Experience collaborating with computational biology teams.

• Preferred: Experience working with non-model tree species.

Company culture and benefits

• Competitive salary and title commensurate with experience

• Meaningful equity compensation

• Generous PTO policy

• Comprehensive health, vision, and dental insurance

• 401(k) plan

• The opportunity to creatively engage in high-impact scientific research and development

• Unmatched potential for professional growth in a supportive environment

Foray deeply values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We are an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants equally for employment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.