Analytical Chemist

Role details

Company Overview

Plastics have become indispensable for nearly every major industry, but conventional plastics impose an unsustainable burden on the environment. Plastic production currently accounts for 8% of global oil and gas use and nearly 5% of GHG emissions. More than 250 million tons of plastic waste accumulates annually, the vast majority of which will persist for centuries. ReSource's proprietary technology will produce the first bioplastic that is made from truly sustainable feedstocks and outperforms incumbent materials without the environmental burden or health risks.

We are commercializing an industrially scalable process for producing FDCA, which is a naturally occurring chemical that serves as a replacement for the petrochemical monomer PTA used to make polyesters such as PET. Polyester represents a >$100B industry, with applications spanning packaging, bottles, and fibers. Polyesters made using FDCA have superior gas barrier, thermal, and mechanical properties compared to the petrochemical incumbents, which translates into better performance with less material, including increased shelf life for perishable goods. They are also 100% recyclable and degrade much faster than conventional polyester if released into the environment.

Beyond polyesters, FDCA is a platform molecule that can be used to make a wide range of other polymers and specialty chemicals. Past efforts to commercialize such products have been hampered by the high complexity and cost of the manufacturing pathways chosen to make FDCA, all of which use edible sugars as raw materials. In contrast, ReSource produces FDCA from CO2 and inedible biomass and removes two thirds of the conventional process steps, resulting in dramatically reduced production cost that enable rapid scale-up and high-volume applications. Bioplastics made using ReSource FDCA have the potential to eliminate >250 Mton yr-1 GHG emissions.

The company is in Oakland, CA and was founded on technology developed at Stanford University. Backed by leading investors including Khosla Ventures, Fathom Fund, Chevron Technology Ventures, and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, we are currently preparing to commence pilot and demo-scale production. To date, ReSource has raised >$25M, including nearly $9M in R&D grants from the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

Position Overview

: We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated analytical chemist to join the team. The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Analyzing samples from different processes.
• Maintain and troubleshoot HPLC, FAAS and other analytical equipment.
• Method development to quantify products and impurities.
• Creating and maintaining CoA for different products.
• Specifying and acquiring new analytical equipment as needed.

Qualifications And Skills

• BS degree in Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Material Analysis, or related field
• Hands-on experience developing and validating HPLC and FAAS methods, and data interpretation for small molecule assays, purity, impurities, degradation products, and related substances.
• Deep hands-on experience operating, maintaining, troubleshooting, calibrating, and optimizing analytical laboratory instrumentation in chemical industry or applied research environment.
• Strong expertise in chemical characterization and data interpretation using techniques such as HPLC, NMR, ICP and FAAS.
• Excellent technical writing, communication, teamwork, and project management skills, with the ability to influence scientific and technical audiences.