---
title: 'Research Associate at MaverickX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/research-associate-maverickx-austin-mt9f02q4p0a2'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-09'
---

# Research Associate at MaverickX

- **Company:** MaverickX
- **Location:** Austin, TX
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-02
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/maverickx/377dad0e-d963-418e-af0e-5fd2f7bc0c28

## Job description

The Company

MaverickX is revitalizing critical resource extraction with precision biologics. We are a team of scientists, engineers, and business operators who are bringing cutting-edge biotechnology products to the world’s most critical industries.

## The Role

We are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Research Associate to join our Bioprocess Technical Operations team. Under the guidance of our experienced scientists and engineers, you will gain hands-on experience and develop skills in fermentation and bioprocess development. The Research Associate will contribute to ongoing projects, conduct fermentation experiments as specified, and assist in bioprocess development activities. The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry, biochemical engineering, or a related field, along with experience working with microbial cultures and bench-scale fermenters.

## Key Responsibilities

- Prepare and sterilize culture media for fermentation experiments
- Set up, operate, and monitor bench-scale bioreactors/fermenters
- Monitor and control key process parameters, including pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, agitation, and aeration
- Perform aseptic sampling and prepare samples for analytical testing
- Support fermentation process development and optimization
- Evaluate media composition and feeding strategies to optimize microbial growth and productivity
- Clean, sterilize, and maintain bioreactors and associated process equipment
- Analyze fermentation data and prepare experimental reports
- Support process scale-up from shake flasks to bench-scale bioreactors
- Follow established SOPs and laboratory safety procedures
- Maintain accurate documentation of experimental procedures, process data, results, and observations

## Qualifications

- Bachelor's or Master's degree in biochemical engineering, chemical engineering, biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry, or a related field
- 2+ years of hands-on experience in a laboratory, fermentation, or bioprocess development environment
- Hands-on experience operating bench-scale fermenters or bioreactors, basic understanding of key process parameters
- Experience working with bacterial and other microbial cultures
- Excellent attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate records
- Good communication and teamwork skills
- Ability to work independently and in team and manage multiple tasks effectively
- Knowledge of laboratory safety protocols and procedures

## Our Values

- Customer First: Our first and foremost priority is to give customers technology that makes their business more valuable. There is no deviation from this north star
- Play to Win: This is a professional team, not a family. Hardcore work ethic is a baseline; measurable impact is how we define success
- Extreme Ownership: We are self-starters who learn voraciously, master our domain, and take full accountability for the outcomes of our work
- Relentless Execution: A good idea is meaningless until it is solving a customer problem. Moving with speed, focus, and determination is how we win in our industry
- Radical Candor: Focused, direct, and impactful communication is our language. No time for beating around the bush
- Shared Success: Meaningful equity participation for employees means that when MaverickX wins, everyone wins
- Uncompromised Integrity: We do first-class business in a first-class way, while staying loyal to our customers, shareholders, employees, and country

## Benefits

- At Maverick X, our compensation packages reflect our recognition of the value our employees bring to our success and our commitment to recruiting top talent. We cater our benefits to ensure our team succeeds both in and out of the office
- Premium health insurance: With medical, dental, and optical options, we offer some of the best coverage on the market
- Continuing education: We take employee development seriously and strive to unlock our team’s full potential through continuous learning initiatives

## About MaverickX

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: MaverickX develops advanced specialty chemicals that unlock oil, critical metals, and water from existing oilfield and mining infrastructure.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage, Y Combinator S22, total raised $54.81M)
- **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Eric Herrera (CEO) and Jesse Evans (COO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Oil & Gas, Mining, Critical Minerals / Rare Earth Elements, Chemical Manufacturing
- **Target customers**: B2B – oil and gas operators, mining companies, industrial refineries; primarily enterprise-level operators in North America
- **Mission/purpose**: To unlock more oil and higher-value metals from existing wells cheaper, faster, and safer than legacy treatments, supporting global resource security and sustainability.

## Products & Services
- **PetroX™**: Specialty chemical solution for oil & gas wells that removes scale, paraffin, and iron, increases shale porosity up to 40x, and can liberate 50%+ more hydrocarbons. Reduces operating costs and downtime.
- **LithX™**: Chemistry for extracting lithium and other critical metals from low-grade ores and brine streams.
- **HydroX™**: Solution for treating produced water and recovering clean water alongside metals and oil.

All three are chemical formulations (not hardware or SaaS) deployed directly into client operations.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding raised – $54.81M (latest round: $7.5M unattributed VC, ~Q2 2026); earlier seed round of $19M led by Olive Tree Capital
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Olive Tree Capital (lead), Y Combinator, Chord Energy (strategic investment)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Rebranded from Maverick Labs to MaverickX in January 2026, unifying oil & gas and metals divisions
  - Opened a 10,000 sq ft chemical production facility in Pleasanton, TX (reached capacity milestone)
  - Multiple major operators under contract for PetroX™
  - Headcount grew from ~30 to 29 (LinkedIn) with +3.8% monthly growth; 5 active job postings
  - Department of Energy contract to extract metals from old oil wells

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proprietary chemistry**: Novel reaction pathways that increase shale porosity by up to 40x, enabling oil to flow where it previously couldn’t – not just swapping chemicals but rewriting reservoir physics.
- **Multi-commodity extraction**: Ability to co-produce oil, critical metals (REEs, gold, copper), and clean water from the same wells and infrastructure, turning stranded streams into high-value barrels and concentrates.
- **Non-toxic, safer chemistry**: Differentiated from legacy treatments that are hazardous; complies with ESG mandates and lowers operating costs.
- **First-mover in “mine old wells”**: Contracted by the Department of Energy to extract metals from legacy wells, giving unique expertise and credibility.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale PetroX™ deployment**: Expanding contracts with major operators in South Texas and beyond.
- **Cross-industry growth**: Leveraging unified brand (MaverickX) to serve oil & gas, mining, and industrial sectors with integrated chemical solutions.
- **Production capacity**: Scaling manufacturing at the Pleasanton facility to meet growing demand.
- **Resource security narrative**: Tapping into the $100B+ market for critical minerals from existing oil and gas infrastructure, essential for EVs, tech, and national security.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Small, mission-driven startup (team ~30) with a “maverick” spirit – high autonomy, direct impact, and cutting-edge chemistry.
- **Work model**: On-site in Austin, TX (all current job listings are on-site). No remote/hybrid mentioned.
- **Engineering culture**: Hands-on chemistry and process engineering; work spans from lab to field deployment. Tech stack includes Python, SQL, Tableau, and automation tools.
- **Growth opportunity**: Early-stage company with strong investor backing, rapid revenue growth, and expansion into new verticals – chance to shape processes and take on broad responsibilities.
- **Notable perks**: Not explicitly listed, but YC startup environment often includes equity, flexible PTO, and a tight-knit team.

## Sources
1. [ycombinator.com](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/maverickx)
2. [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/maverickx-company)
3. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/maverick-bioworks)
4. [globenewswire.com](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/01/13/3217830/0/en/Maverick-Labs-Becomes-MaverickX-Unlocking-Oil-Metals-and-Water-from-Existing-Oilfields-and-Waste.html)
5. [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/maverickx)

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