Pharmaceutical Research Associate

Job Title: Pharmaceutical Research Associate

Location: Bangalore (IISc Campus) / Darjeeling

Team: Scientific R&D | Shonku Labs, Alt Carbon

Experience: 2–6 years in pharmaceutical QA/QC, analytical R&D, or process chemistry

Type: Full-time

About Alt Carbon: Alt Carbon is India's leading Carbon Removal (CDR) company. We blend science, technology & tradition to undertake climate action to turn the clock on historic emissions in the atmosphere. Our science and technology takes place in Bangalore; our operations are undertaken in Darjeeling's heritage tea estates.

Alt Carbon was started by sibling tea planters Shrey and Sparsh Agarwal, in order to rescue their family's tea estate from being at-risk of climate impact to becoming the frontier of climate action.

Read about our journey below:

Our Journey to Revive Darjeeling

To read more about our work, check out this news feature about us, go through this twitter thread, or have a look at our work in Darjeeling.

About the Role

We are hiring pharma scientists to bring their analytical precision into a new frontier — carbon removal science. If you've worked in GMP labs, run elemental impurity testing, or handled titrations and instrument calibrations in a regulated setup, your skills are exactly what climate science needs.

Alt Carbon is building India's most advanced Earth Sciences lab — and we need people who know how to run tight protocols, think in SOPs, and obsess over clean data. You'll work on analyzing rocks, soils, water, and biochar samples to measure elemental movement and quantify CO₂ removal.

Why Pharma Folks?

Pharmaceutical scientists understand discipline, process, and validation. You've been trained to care about precision, batch integrity, lab hygiene, and reproducibility — the exact culture we need to build scalable, verifiable carbon removal systems.

What You'll Do

• Run elemental analysis using ICP-MS, ICP-OES, XRD, IRMS, CHNS analyzers, and other tools (training provided)
• Perform sample prep workflows such as acid digestion, filtration, titration, and dilution with high reproducibility
• Maintain SOPs, QA/QC protocols, calibration records, and chain-of-custody for all lab workflows
• Assist in method development for quantifying cation flux, tracer signatures, and carbon removal pathways
• Collaborate with geochemists and environmental scientists to adapt pharma-style protocols to Earth systems
• Work closely with field teams to process and analyze real-world samples from farms, rivers, and rock quarries

Qualifications

• BPharm / MPharm / MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences / Analytical Chemistry / Industrial Chemistry
• 2–6 years in analytical R&D, QC/QA, or process labs (pharma manufacturing, CROs, or GLP setups)
• Hands-on experience with:

– Elemental analysis (e.g., ICP-MS/OES, AAS)

– Analytical techniques (e.g., titrations, spectroscopy, gravimetric methods)

– Documentation rigor (logbooks, validation protocols, deviation reports, LIMS)

• Bonus: Experience with ICH Q3D / USP / elemental impurity testing
• Bonus: Background in method validation, risk assessments, or ISO audits

Who You Are

• Detail-obsessed, process-driven, and proud of your lab discipline
• Curious about new domains — even if you've never worked with rocks or soils before
• Eager to contribute to planetary health using your pharma training
• Open to working across geochemistry, climate science, and AI-enabled analysis
• Comfortable with both lab work and field exposure (training provided)

Why This Matters

Most climate science labs are starved of real lab culture. You've spent years in labs that can't afford sloppiness. Bring that same culture here — and help us build the world's most reliable carbon removal infrastructure.

What We Offer

• A high-ownership role in one of South Asia's most advanced Earth Sciences labs
• Cross-disciplinary exposure: work with scientists, climate modelers, AI engineers
• A chance to publish, prototype, and ship science that goes from lab → field.
• The satisfaction of doing real, measurable good for the planet