Enzymologist

About the role

We are seeking a highly motivated and innovative Enzymologist to join our early-phase discovery research team within Trait Discovery and Optimization in Biotechnology. This collaborative and multi-disciplinary team focuses on discovering and characterizing enzymes for advancement into our biotechnology and gene-editing pipeline for herbicide tolerance and other trait areas.

This position will be instrumental in identifying novel enzymes, characterizing enzymatic substrates and reaction products in vitro, and enhancing catalytic efficiency and substrate selectivity. Success in this role will be measured by the discovery and characterization of novel enzymes, generation of mechanistic insights, and advancement of promising candidates into the Biotechnology project pipeline.

Responsibilities

• Generate scientific hypotheses and propose research experiments that advance discovery project objectives and support research program goals
• Discover and characterize novel enzymes that support project objectives
• Improve in vitro catalytic efficiency and substrate selectivity or specificity
• Characterize enzyme kinetics, including determining steady-state parameters, inhibition, substrates, and co-factors
• Investigate structure-function relationships between enzymes & inhibitors or substrates
• Design, implement, and document new methods, technologies, and approaches
• Conduct hands-on work in the laboratory
• Mentor and train others
• Analyze data and interpret results with scientific rigor and attention to detail
• Collaborate effectively by working independently and in teams
• Communicate across different scientific disciplines and levels of understanding
• Stay current with scientific literature and emerging technologies relevant to project goals
• Prepare technical reports and contribute to scientific publications or intellectual property filings
• Ensure compliance with safety protocols, data integrity standards, and regulatory guidelines in all research activities

Qualifications

• Ph.D. (or 6+ years equivalent experience) in biochemistry, enzymology, or related field
• Strong foundation in biochemistry, enzymology, and enzyme kinetics
• Hands-on experience developing in vitro enzyme assays and determining enzymatic steady-state parameters

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of organic chemistry and metabolic pathways
• Experience with recombinant protein expression and purification
• Familiarity with computational approaches for enzyme-ligand binding and protein structure analysis

Benefits

• Numerous development opportunities offered to build your skills
• Health benefits for you and your family on your first day of employment
• Four weeks of paid time off and two weeks of well-being pay per year, plus paid holidays
• Excellent parental leave which includes a minimum of 16 weeks for mother and father
• Future planning with our competitive retirement savings plan and tuition reimbursement program

Learn more about our total rewards package here - Corteva Benefits