Sr. Research Associate, Yeast Expression and VLP Production

We are seeking a hands-on research associate to produce engineered VLPs in yeast and build production, purification, QC, and stability workflows.

You will help build Molagri’s yeast VLP production workflows. This role will focus on expressing engineered VLPs in yeast, improving yield and recovery, purifying particles, running routine QC, and screening storage conditions that preserve particle integrity and payload quality.

You will work closely with our virology and protein biochemistry teams to produce purified VLP material for characterization, insect-cell assays, and insect bioassays.

You will:

• Engineer strains of yeast to accommodate efficient cell growth and VLP yields at manufacturing scale.
• Work closely with viral and biochemistry teams to genetically modify yeast strains to test new VLP variants in a timely manner.
• Transform yeast with VLP expression constructs and screen clones for their expression, yield, and particle quality.
• Produce VLPs in shake flasks and small-scale bioreactors.
• Test and optimize production conditions such as growth media, induction strategy, temperature, harvest time, and other process variables.
• Run harvest, lysis or clarification, purification, buffer-exchange, and concentration workflows.
• Run routine QC assays for expression, particle assembly, purity, aggregation, RNA packaging, and RNA integrity.
• Support stability screens across pH, salt, excipients, temperature, freeze-thaw, and storage conditions.
• Troubleshoot low-yield expression, poor recovery, particle instability, aggregation, RNA loss, and inconsistent QC results.
• Maintain SOPs, batch records, assay records, and sample inventories.

What You Bring

• BSc or MS in biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, biochemical engineering, biotechnology, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience expressing recombinant proteins, VLPs, or other biological products in yeast or microbial systems.
• Experience with yeast transformation, clone screening, shake-flask expression, and small-scale fermentation or bioreactor runs.
• Experience with protein and/or particle purification methods involved in the preparation of samples and downstream protocols such as chromatography, filtration.
• Working knowledge of routine protein, RNA, or particle QC methods such as SDS-PAGE, Western blot, ELISA, qPCR, HPLC/SEC, DLS, or plate-based activity assays.
• Precise/meticulous bench technique and the ability to reproducibly run many small production and QC experiments.
• Strong recordkeeping skills, including clear batch recording, assay notes, sample tracking, and SOP updates.
• Ability to troubleshoot production workflows and communicate results clearly to scientists across virology, protein biochemistry, and insect biology.
• Excitement to work at the bench in a small team where production workflows are still being built.
• Self-starter with a drive to grow with their role alongside the company’s trajectory.

What We Value

Molagri is a small team building a novel bioinsecticide platform. We value scientists who design rigorous experiments, think creatively when the obvious approach fails, communicate clearly, and treat their teammates with kindness and respect. The right person for this role will be hands-on, hard-working, intellectually honest, and excited to help build a platform from first principles.