Description

What You'll Do 

Experimental Design

• Design microbial assays to evaluate:
  • antimicrobial materials, surfaces, coatings, and substrates
  • performance under real-world conditions (e.g., light exposure, time, wear, contamination, etc.)
• Apply, adapt, or extend existing methods, including:
  • standard antimicrobial tests (AATCC 100, ISO 18184, etc.) where appropriate
  • internally develop or modified assays
• Know when a method is:
  • sufficient
  • misleading
  • or needs controlled modification

Execution & Iteration

• Run hands-on BSL-2 level antimicrobial experiments involving:
  • bacteria (required)
  • viruses (if appropriately supported and required)
  • fungi (as needed)
• Execute repeatable, quantitatively sound experiments including:
  • Growth and preparation of tested microbes
  • Conducts CFU counts
  • Completes time-kill studies (log reductions)
• Analyzes and interpret assays
• Iterate intelligently: test → interpret → refine → retest
• Maintain a sterile, clean, and organized lab environment

Documentation & Interpretation

• Maintain clean, traceable lab notebooks (digital/written) including photo documentation
• Produce written technical summaries that explain:
  • what was done
  • why it was done
  • what the data mean
  • what decisions or next experiments it supports
• Compare:
  • New findings to prior in-house, and external partner lab results
  • to existing related and analogous scientific literature
• Proactively flag:
  • possible artifacts of experimentation or quantitative analysis
  • necessary controls to account for methodologies used
  • false positives / false negatives
  • uncertainty that affects decisions

Inform R&D and Strategy

• Translate experimental results into:
  • key learnings and limitations
  • prioritized next experiments where appropriate
  • formulation, material, or application changes that could improve efficacy
  • exposure parameters (e.g., light conditions, duration, timepoints)
• Document results and interpretations for R&D and cross-functional discussions, producing:
  • clear, well-structured technical written summaries
  • accurate and complete data tables and Excel spreadsheets with appropriate controls
  • appropriately labeled graphs that support interpretation
• Work closely with chemistry, materials, and leadership to align experimental findings with product and strategy decisions
• Help build and organize a growing  body of completed studies and results that compound over time and support future regulatory pathways

Requirements

What We’re Looking For

Must-Haves

• Hands-on microbiology experience:
  • BS  in related field + 3 or more years of relevant lab work
  • MS in related field + 2 or more years of relevant lab work
• Direct design and execution of bacterial or other microbial assays, including:
  • assay design or modification
  • quantitative readouts via data tables and scientific charts (CFU, kill curves stated as log reduction, etc.)
• Strong experimental judgment:
  • can explain results clearly in writing and oral presentation without jargon
  • comfortable saying “I don’t trust this result yet”
  • thinks in cause-and-effect
• Demonstrated judgment in balancing scientific rigor with execution speed, including knowing when additional documentation or investigation meaningfully improves decisions, and when it does not.
• Experience working in applied, industry, or decision-driven lab environments
• High documentation discipline and comfort working in regulated or quality-adjacent contexts
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.

Valuable (But Not Required)

•       Formal antimicrobial efficacy testing (AATCC 100, ISO 18184)
•       Surface, materials, textile, or coatings microbiology
•       Antiviral or disinfectant testing
•       Photodynamic or light-activated systems
•       FDA or EPA regulated environments
•       In vitro immune testing experience