Opportunities & Jobs

First Flight Venture Center Partners with Bayer to Host New Propeller Cohort

Research Triangle Park, NC– July 1, 2024 – First Flight Venture Center, the premier science and technology incubator in North Carolina, is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Bayer to host the latest cohort of the Propeller Program. This collaboration aims to accelerate novel startups focused on issues like “food security” in agriculture and crop science using scientific innovations, like CRISPR technology and other agriculture innovations. For founders, having access to strategic partners like Bayer is a game-changer for their entrepreneurial journey to success.

Propeller is a 8-week entrepreneurial design thinking program which helps founders, innovators and entrepreneurs determine the highest value for a product or service idea. This early-stage accelerator program helps entrepreneurs identify potential markets, develop a path to market strategy, and learn how to communicate the value of the idea to early stakeholders and adopters.

Over eight weeks of instruction, Propeller enables innovators to utilize the tools provided and peer interaction to consider angles from the business problem, customer value, and competitive edge–resulting in a clear understanding about the business direction and value of their idea and how to present this value in an investor-ready pitch. Companies will also practice their elevator pitches at the beginning of the sessions. We also leverage our phenomenal mentor network – we call them Navigators – to supplement the curriculum with real world insights.

Propeller serves as a first-step program for early-stage science and technology innovators by helping them bridge the gap between a brilliant idea and the business value it represents. It is based in part on the Wendy Kennedy Institute (WKI) methodology but tailored to science and technology-focused companies.

Participants in the Propeller Program will benefit from:

• Tailored Mentorship: Access to industry experts and seasoned entrepreneurs for guidance and advice.
• Comprehensive Workshops: A series of sessions covering key topics such as regulatory strategies, business development, and fundraising.
• Networking Opportunities: Connections with potential investors, partners, and industry leaders to help scale their businesses.

Applications for the Propeller Program are now open. Interested startups can apply here.

Deadline to apply is July 31, 2024. For more information and details, please click here.

University of Virginia – Microbiology

The University of Virginia invites applications for multiple tenure-track Assistant Professor appointments in Microbiology and/or Infectious Disease in the highly interdisciplinary Department of Biology. We seek applicants whose research addresses fundamental problems in microbiology, infectious agents broadly defined, and/or host-microbial interactions. The successful applicants will complement or broaden existing strengths within the Department and are expected to establish a rigorous, independent, and externally funded research program and to teach at undergraduate and graduate levels. We seek to recruit faculty from diverse backgrounds who value diversity and are passionate about having a positive impact on society and the world. Please reach out to Jennifer Guler at idmicrosearch@virginia.edu with questions or apply here: apply.interfolio.com/130419

Virginia Statewide Life Science Internship Program

STEM2VA is a ten week, full-time, paid summer program to connect interested students to opportunities within the private sector. We accept undergraduates and graduate students who are Virginia residents and nonresidents enrolled in a Virginia institution.

Welcome to STEM2VA! This program will allow interested life science majors to participate in an intense and exciting Summer internship opportunity. STEM2VA will match Virginia-based students at a 2 or 4+ year degree-awarding institution with enriching experiences in the life science industry. Click here, for details.

Travel Awards Available to Promote Research or Education Collaborations

Awards of up to $500 are available to registered network members for travel within the Mid-Atlantic region that has the purpose of catalyzing interactions among network participants and between networks. Considered will be travel for i) creating or planning new research collaborations in synthetic biology; ii) promoting the evolution or expansion of Mid-Atlantic Synthetic Biology Network; iii) promoting participation of students, trainees, early-career investigators, and under-represented individuals in STEM, in synthetic biology research; iv) facilitating workforce development in synthetic biology; or v) facilitating outreach to stakeholders and the public in regards to synthetic biology. To apply, e-mail Keith Kozminski (kkoz@virginia.edu) a request that includes the name and institutional affiliation of the traveler, date(s) of travel, destination, name(s) and institutional affiliation of potential collaborator(s), and a very brief budget and description of how the collaboration promotes or utilizes synthetic biology. Funds must be used within 6 months of award. These awards may not be used for travel to the annual symposium or other network-sponsored meetings or to conduct research. Individuals seeking support for travel to the annual symposium or network-sponsored meetings should refer to the relevant event announcements for specific guidance.

Awards for Theme Meetings

Network funds are available to support one-day, small group theme meetings to identify opportunities to leverage synthetic biology as an efficient modality to monitor, assess, and optimize biological materials that contribute to the utility and resilience of shared agricultural and water-based resources, especially in the Mid-Atlantic region. The primary goal of these meetings is to discern where synthetic biology can generate responsible solutions to current regional challenges that are better than current state-of-the-art and, in particular, solutions that integrate the research of Mid-Atlantic Synthetic Biology Network members. Inquires may be made to kkoz@virginia.edu or any member of the Executive Committee.

Funds Available for Website Development at Academic Institutions

Have you ever thought about creating a website for the synthetic biology community at your college or university? Have you wondered how to pay for it? MASBN has a limited number of website development awards of up to $2500 to help you toward that goal. Applications for these awards will be considered by the MASBN Executive Committee quarterly, as funds remain available.  If interested, please e-mail to Keith Kozminski (kkoz@virginia.edu) a request for funding, as a pdf, that includes the following information: Institution, name and contact information of the faculty member responsible for the development of the site, description of who will be developing the site, description of the anticipated content of the site, the target date for bringing the site online (must be within one year of receiving funding), and amount of funding requested with a budget justification.   Please submit applications on either  December 1, March 1, June 1, or September 1 for funding in the subsequent calendar quarter.  Applicants must join the network before submitting an application.