About the role#
Debut is looking for a Technology Scout Intern to work directly with the CEO and our team. You will find, evaluate, and rank external technologies to determine if they are real, differentiated, and worth our time and capital. This is a part-time, remote role for a current PhD student interested in how scientific judgment drives commercial decisions. You will work 10 to 20 hours per week.
What you'll do#
- Run fast technical diligence on themes and concepts required for our future programs.
- Turn around recommendations in a matter of days.
- Read patents and published applications to identify independent claims and define actual protection.
- Separate defensible scientific claims from unsupported ones.
- Write one-page briefs summarizing technology, novelty, protection, and your recommendation.
- Maintain a tracker of technologies, companies, and intellectual property.
- Monitor competitor publications, patent filings, and funding activity.
- Prepare technical background for external meetings.
- Brief the CEO directly and defend your conclusions.
What you'll need#
- Current enrollment in a PhD program in biochemistry, biology, or molecular biology.
- Experience in skin biology is strongly preferred.
- You are not pursuing an MBA.
- Ability to hold technical conversations with academic and industry leaders regarding technology readiness levels.
- Demonstrated ability to read patent literature and extract major claims.
- Strong command of primary literature and the ability to judge if experiments support their conclusions.
- Genuine interest in the commercial side of science, including deals, markets, and competitive positioning.
- Ability to write concisely, lead with conclusions, and make decisions based on incomplete information.
- Self-directed work style.
Location & details#
- This is a remote role.
- Pay is $17.75 per hour.
- The term is rolling.
About Debut
Debut is a biotechnology research company based in San Diego, California. Founded in 2019, the firm employs between 51 and 200 people. It specializes in synthetic biology and fermentation to create ingredients for the beauty and personal care sectors. The company focuses on developing sustainable, clinically-proven components for cosmetic products.
How to get in at Debut
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