Senior Scientist, Product Development Lead for Melanin & Biopolymer Platform

Role details

About the Role

We are hiring a PhD scientist to own the product development journey from biomass to finished melanin products, starting with cosmetic ingredients and widening over time to other biopolymers and small molecules for food and agriculture. You will take material from the fermentation or biomass source through extraction, purification, characterization and formulation, and carry each product from bench proof-of-concept to commercial-scale supply.

This is a hands-on, end-to-end position: you design the experiments, run the instruments, interpret the data, write the specifications, and then manage the people and partners who make the product at scale. The initial focus is melanin for cosmetics (UV protection, antioxidant and pigment actives, skin and hair care). Later phases extend the same platform to additional biopolymers and molecules recovered from the same biomass streams.

Title

Senior Scientist, Product Development Lead for Melanin & Biopolymer Platform

Reports to

CEO and CTO

Location

On-site lab role San Diego; some travel to contract manufacturers and partner labs

Type

Full-time

Key Responsibilities

Formulation

• Develop melanin dispersions, powders and pre-blends that are stable and performant in cosmetic bases (emulsions, serums, sunscreens, hair care, color cosmetics).

• Run compatibility, stability, SPF/UVA-PF contribution, sensory and color-matching studies with internal and external labs.

• Support regulatory and safety dossiers (INCI, CPSR, REACH, FDA/EU cosmetic compliance) with data from your work.

Analytics and physical-chemical characterization

• Own the analytical program: method development, validation and routine running of UV-Vis/NIR, FTIR/Raman, HPLC/UPLC, LC-MS and GC-MS, EPR, solid-state NMR, elemental (CHNS) analysis, TGA/DSC, XRD, DLS/zeta potential, particle size and SEM/TEM.

• Characterize melanin grade by purity, particle size distribution, color/absorbance profile, radical-scavenging activity, solubility/dispersibility, heavy metals and microbial limits.

• Write and maintain product specifications, certificates of analysis and stability protocols (ICH-style and ISO 16128-aligned where relevant).

Experimental deisgn and scale-up (R&D to commercial)

• Apply DoE, QbD and statistical analysis to move each product from bench (grams) through pilot (kilograms) to commercial (hundreds of kilograms to tonnes).

• Lead tech transfer: process descriptions, batch records, equipment selection and acceptance criteria for in-house and contract manufacturing.

• Troubleshoot deviations and drive continuous improvement in yield, purity, cycle time and cost.

Product development and management

• Own product roadmaps for the cosmetic, food, and agriculture melanin line: target product profiles, development plans, timelines, budgets and risk registers.

• Manage the day-to-day work of technicians and junior scientists; set priorities and review data.

• Select, qualify and manage external partners: CROs, CMOs/toll manufacturers, analytical labs, universities and raw-material suppliers.

• Present results and recommendations to leadership, customers and investors; contribute to IP (patents, trade secrets) and technical marketing materials.

Lab operations and compliance

• Maintain GLP-like documentation, ELN records, SOPs and safety practices; help build the lab from the ground up where needed.

Required qualifications

• PhD in chemistry, chemical/biochemical engineering, materials science, biotechnology, pharmaceutical sciences or a closely related field.

• 5+ years of relevant post-PhD experience in industry (or industry-equivalent) developing bio-based materials, natural pigments, biopolymers or specialty ingredients, with at least one product taken from lab to pilot or commercial scale.

• Demonstrated hands-on downstream processing experience: extraction, purification, solid-liquid separation, membrane processes, drying and particle engineering of biological materials.

• Formulation experience with dispersions, powders or actives in cosmetic, personal-care or comparable consumer formats.

• Proficiency in experimental design (DoE), statistics and data analysis (JMP, Minitab, R or Python).

• Track record of managing projects end to end: scope, budget, timeline, risk, and cross-functional or external teams.

• Experience working with contract manufacturers, CROs or toll processors, including tech transfer and batch release.

• Excellent documentation, written and verbal communication; comfortable presenting to non-scientists.

• Legal authorization to work in the country of the role.

Preffered Qualifications

• Direct experience with melanin (eumelanin, pheomelanin, allomelanin or pyomelanin), fungal or microbial pigments, or other recalcitrant, poorly soluble biopolymers.

• Knowledge of cosmetic regulatory frameworks (EU 1223/2009, MoCRA, INCI naming, COSMOS/Ecocert natural-origin certification) and of cosmetic ingredient supply to brand customers.

• Familiarity with fermentation or biomass upstream processes and how upstream choices affect downstream yield and quality.

• Experience in a start-up or scale-up environment: building a lab, qualifying equipment, writing the first SOPs.

• Experience with sunscreen efficacy testing (in vitro SPF/UVA-PF), antioxidant assays (DPPH, ORAC, EPR), color measurement (CIELAB) and skin/hair substrate testing.

• Publications or patents in biopolymers, natural pigments or bio-based materials.

• Working knowledge of techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment for bio-based products.

Team

You will initially perform independently with support of Lab Technicians and work closely with upstream/fermentation, commercial and regulatory colleagues. The team grows as the product line broadens.

Compensation

$125,000-150,000, commensurate with experience, plus benefits and relocation support where applicable.

Travel

Up to 15–20% for CMO visits, partner labs, customer meetings and conferences.

To apply

Send a CV and a one-page summary of a product or process you personally took from bench to pilot or commercial scale, including the analytical and scale-up challenges you solved to [email protected] with subject line: Application - Senior Scientist, Product Development Lead for Melanin & Biopolymer Platform

We are an equal-opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.