Lab Associate, Ingredient Discovery & Development

Who we are at Osmo:

Osmo is a digital olfaction company, on a mission to give computers a sense of smell to improve the health and wellbeing of human life. Why? Our sense of smell both enriches and saves lives, and has a deep and direct connection to our emotions and memory. This foundational understanding of smell's impact has directly informed the development of our latest innovation: Generation.

Generation is a new kind of fragrance house powered by Olfactory Intelligence (OI) to blend AI with world-class perfumery. It will help brands create emotionally resonant scents faster, more accessibly, and with greater creative clarity. Our technology allows us to explore vast scent possibilities, discover novel ingredients, and design fragrances informed by both data and artistry.

Beyond fragrance, Olfactory Intelligence has applications across industries including manufacturing, security, medicine, and more. We believe in the power of automation and thoughtfully applied AI/ML to solve problems beyond the reach of human intuition alone. Osmo is headquartered in New York, NY, with a new facility in New Jersey, and offices in Somerville, MA.

Osmo is seeking a highly detail-oriented and organized Lab Associate to join our synthetic chemistry team to be the central point for laboratory operations supporting our end-to-end fragrance ingredient pipeline, from discovery through commercialization. This role is crucial for ensuring seamless material flow, meticulous sample integrity, and robust data management for our unique ingredient portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

• Comprehensive Sample Management & Logistics: Own the full lifecycle of chemical and fragrance ingredient samples, including accurate registration, ordering, organization (20mg-kg’s), receiving, and shipping. Execute precise physical sample preparation, including various dilutions (e.g., 10%, 1%), for hand-offs to downstream teams.

• Digital-to-Physical Sample Tracking & Organization: Maintain meticulous digital and physical organization of all chemical compound inventory. Track samples' precise location, status, and lineage, ensuring real-time visibility on what's been requested, received, where it is, and material availability for commercial assessments.

• Data Curation & Digital Workflow Optimization: Actively contribute to data curation, maintaining accurate records. Collaborate closely with the software team to develop and refine user interfaces for data visualization, sample tracking, and project status dynamics.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Quality Assurance: Serve as a key collaborator with Synthetic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Perfumery, and Sensory Science teams. Participate in smell assessments of new molecules, ensuring quality targets are met. Provide essential lab support, adhering to stringent safety protocols.

Required Responsibilities

• Bachelor's or Associate's degree in Chemistry or a related scientific field.

• 2+ years of proven experience in a laboratory setting, preferably in chemical, fragrance, or high-throughput environments.

• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail in sample handling and record-keeping.

• Strong understanding of chemical safety protocols.

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills, with a proactive and collaborative mindset.

• Ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize effectively, and troubleshoot operational challenges within existing workflows.

Ways to Stand Out

• Direct experience with digital sample management systems (e.g., Sapio, LIMS).

• Hands-on experience operating analytical chemistry instruments or liquid handling robotics (e.g., Tecan, Opentrons, Agilent, Gerstel).

• Familiarity with basic programming concepts or relevant libraries/frameworks for data manipulation.

• Passion for fragrance and participation in sensory assessments.

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K, and more.

If this role inspires you we’d encourage you to apply. We are committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining an incredible team optimized for a diversity of thought, background, and approaches. All employment decisions and responsibilities are determined based on current ability and your ability to grow, without regard to race, color, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, marital status, physical, mental, or sensory disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Osmo does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Osmo or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by the Osmo Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Osmo and Osmo will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.