Twist Bioscience · 19 hours ago
Scientist - Enzyme Engineering
USA - South San Francisco, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior Level
$127K/yr - $158K/yr
5+ years expTwist Bioscience is a company that synthesizes genes from scratch, contributing to the genomics revolution. They are seeking a Scientist/Senior Scientist for their Enzyme Engineering team, responsible for the discovery, engineering, and optimization of enzymes for genomic and molecular biology products.
B2BBiotechnologyChemicalHealth CareLife Science
Responsibilities
Design and execute enzyme discovery and engineering campaigns (e.g., rational design, directed evolution, structure-guided mutagenesis) to improve enzyme activity, specificity, stability, and robustness for molecular biology applications.Generate and evaluate enzyme variant libraries using high-throughput or medium-throughput screening and selection strategies
Develop, optimize, and validate biochemical and functional assays to characterize enzyme performance, including kinetic behavior, substrate specificity, fidelity, and tolerance to reaction conditions and inhibitors.Establish screening assays that are predictive of real-world performance in downstream workflows
Evaluate enzyme performance within applied workflows (e.g., PCR, ligation, fragmentation, end repair, deamination, reverse transcription, or other enzymatic reactions relevant to genomics and synthetic biology).Translate enzyme-level improvements into measurable gains at the workflow and product level
Analyze and interpret enzyme and screening data using appropriate statistical and computational tools.Visualize complex datasets to clearly communicate performance trends, tradeoffs, and engineering decisions
Partner closely with Applications, Product Development, Manufacturing, and Quality teams to ensure enzymes are scalable, reproducible, and fit-for-purpose.Provide technical input into enzyme specifications, release criteria, and product design decisions
Rigorously document experimental designs, protocols, results and conclusions to ensure reproducibility and effective knowledge transfer.Contribute to internal technical reports, invention disclosures, patents, and external-facing scientific collateral as needed
Assess emerging tools and methodologies in protein engineering (AI/ML-guided design, structure prediction, high-throughput screening technology) and integrate them where impactful
Qualification
Required
Ph.D. or a M.S with 5+ years of experience in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry or closely-related fields. Relevant post-doctoral or industrial experience is preferred
Strong foundation in molecular biology and protein biochemistry, including recombinant protein expression, purification, and characterization
Demonstrated experience designing and executing enzyme assays and interpreting enzyme performance data
Hands-on experience with techniques such as cloning, mutagenesis, protein expression (bacterial and/or eukaryotic), protein purification, and enzymatic activity assays
Ability to analyze experimental data using computational tools (e.g., Python, R, Excel, GraphPad, or equivalent) and present results clearly
Strong knowledge and expertise in genomic sciences
Ability to draw conclusions, formulate hypotheses and determine next steps based on collected data to solve novel problems
Dynamic interpersonal skills. Respectful and open to others' views; contribute to building a positive team spirit
Self-motivated, willing to learn and be up-to-date on current scientific literature or new research developments
Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with occasional exploratory research projects that provide better understanding of an existing problem
Preferred
Experience engineering enzymes used in genomics or molecular biology workflows (e.g., polymerases, ligases, nucleases, reverse transcriptases)
Familiarity with directed evolution workflows and library screening at scale
Experience integrating enzymes into complex, multi-step biochemical workflows
Exposure to automation or high-throughput experimentation platforms
Experience supporting enzyme transfer to manufacturing or scale-up environments
Familiarity with quality systems, reproducibility requirements, or regulated product development environments
Benefits
Bonus
Equity
Generous benefits package
Company
Twist Bioscience
Twist Bioscience is a biotechnology company that offers synthetic DNA solutions, gene synthesis, and variant libraries.
501-1000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Twist Bioscience has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (18)
2024 (14)
2023 (22)
2022 (19)
2021 (4)
2020 (6)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$553.11MKey Investors
Capital World InvestorsBiomatics Capital PartnersIllumina
2022-02-09Post Ipo Equity· $250M
2020-01-27Post Ipo Equity· $50M
2018-10-30IPO
Leadership Team
Emily Leproust
CEO
Siyuan Chen
Chief Technology Officer
Recent News
Genetic Engineering News
2026-01-17
2026-01-16
Company data provided by crunchbase