Mining Lead Chemist- Hydrometallurgy

Allonnia’s purpose is the pursuit of imaginative solutions to solve the world’s toughest waste challenges through biology. Allonnia is leveraging the power of biotechnology and engineered systems to degrade or sequester pollutants and upcycle waste. Our ethos at Allonnia is to work in harmony with nature, combining biology and technology to fast forward time and bring Nature’s future solutions to the present day. Through this collaboration we will unlock the potential in waste and enable a world where nothing is wasted. Allonnia is backed by Battelle, Ginkgo Bioworks, Viking Global, General Atlantic, EVOK and Cascade Investments.

Mission of the Position

The primary objective of this role is to advance the extraction and purification processes of mining ores through a multifaceted approach:

1.Design and implement innovative solubilization techniques: Develop innovative solubilization methods to selectively remove impurities and gangue materials from targeted mining ores/concentrates/tailings.

2.Exploration of acids and biomolecules: Investigate the efficacy of various biomolecules and chemicals in selectively solubilizing minerals within the mining substrates, aiming for improved resource recovery.

This is a full-time position, with approximately 85% of the time dedicated to hands-on laboratory work and 15% allocated for project management, data analysis, and reporting duties.

Key Criteria/Requirements

• A Ph.D. in mineral aquatic chemistry, chemical engineering, material science, polymer chemistry, organic chemistry, geochemistry, biochemistry, geology, mineralogy, or a related field.
• Candidates with a master's degree and equivalent experience will also be considered.
• 5-10 years of industry experience.
• Experience in and a strong understanding of organic chemistry, polymer material sciences or a similar discipline is required.
• Experience in mining is preferred.
• Experience in data processing and analysis is preferred.
• Solubilization Expertise:
• Preferred experience in chemical or biochemical extraction of metal ions from mining ores, such as acid or heap leaching.
• Project Management:
• Demonstrated experience in successfully managing projects to achieve their objectives, or the ability to make informed decisions regarding project discontinuation when necessary.
• Lab Commitment:
• Willingness to commit approximately 85% of working hours to laboratory activities, including research, experimentation, and analysis.
• Strong Project Management Skills:
• Proficiency in project management, including planning, execution, monitoring, and reporting, to ensure successful project outcomes.

Measurable Accountabilities

Project Scoping

• Collaboratively design scope of all technical projects using experimental design principles
• All projects have clearly defined fast fail milestones with kill criteria
• All projects have documented risks and mitigation plans

Project Execution & Management

• Manage 2-3 laboratory projects at the same time
• Achieving 80%+ of key milestones on time and on budget or go/no go decision
• Document work, procedures, observations, and results

Communication

• Develop cadence and clear communication of progress on experiments
• Embrace transparency; communicate early and often even for bad news
• Consistent and clear communication to Allonnia technical team
• Demonstrate good written communication skills for findings and reports

Brand Advancement

• Present at 1-2 conferences/associations per year
• Represent Allonnia with outside labs
• Foster technical relationships with development partners

Debrief and Learning

• Documentation of work, procedures, observations, and results done throughout the project
• All experiments upon completion (or at critical phases) will have a debrief with the team
• Debrief summary and learnings will documented

Reporting and Papers

• Contributing to 1 technical paper per year

Allonnia Core Values

Purposeful

Committing to work on the right things as individuals and as a company, making a difference every day

Entrepreneurial

Working with passion and curiosity to learn every day, creatively delivering results to the world

Transparent

Fostering a high trust environment that embraces constructive debate, achieving success together