Birch Biosciences is a startup company based in Portland, Oregon that engineers enzymes for plastic recycling. Engineered enzymes act as “molecular scissors” to break down plastic polymers in a high yield, circular process that enables manufacture of high quality, 100% recycled plastic products. Our bio-enzymatic recycling process is low cost, high yield, and reduces CO2 emissions by > 50%. Plastic demand is expected to triple by 2050, so our plastic problem is only going to get worse unless we do something about it!
We’re looking for a Process Engineer or Chemist to develop and optimize sustainable processes that will enable enzyme-mediated recycling of PET and other plastics at commercial scale. This work will initially span lab scale to pilot scale process development efforts.
Specific job responsibilities include:
- Optimization of bio-enzymatic recycling process design using novel enzyme catalysts
- Bench scale testing of process steps involved in our recycling process
- Development and adaptation of methods to enable efficient recovery and purification of recycled outputs
- Design, experimentation, and analysis of findings to guide scalable development of novel enzyme catalysts from bench to pilot scale
- Collaborate closely with the Birch Biosciences technical staff and external advisors
The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:
- BSc., MSc., or PhD. degree in chemistry, chemical engineering or related field
- Fundamental understanding of common chemical processes such as: filtration, crystallization, chemical reactors, and distillation (ideally with experience designing and scaling up these chemical process steps)
- Mechanical and logistic skills (ability to order, assemble, and modify equipment)
- Ability to project bench scale activities to integrated process consequences (identify risks, and mitigate them through design and planning)
- Ability to clearly communicate with other teams, present results clearly, and respond effectively to changing circumstances
- Project planning experience, demonstrated ability to work with contractors/consultants, and/or experience managing direct reports
- Experience in an industrial setting with specific unit operations and/or experience with plastics polymerization
- A passion for progress on our shared vision of sustainability
We’re committed to creating opportunities for applicants from diverse backgrounds that can contribute to our mission. If you don’t have all of the pre-requisite skills, experience or degrees, please send us an application—we’d love to evaluate your skills and see if there is an opportunity for us to work together!