Application Scientist

Who is Nulixir?

Nulixir, a nano-biotechnology start-up, is a VC-backed business-to-business (B2B) company that develops, manufactures, and licenses intellectual property (IP) for smart nanocarriers, called nanovesicles, which optimize the performance of functional ingredients in food & beverage products. Nulixir, as the Function HouseTM, is revolutionizing the functional ingredient space by introducing a realm of functionality and shaping the future of intelligent food. This patented technology (70+ patents) has applications across multiple verticals in food and beverage (e.g., nootropics, energy stimulants, vitamins, probiotics, protein, etc.).

Founded in 2019, the company brought together a team of CPG leaders, cancer researchers, US attorneys, and nutritionists to overcome long-standing challenges in the Food and Beverage Industry. The firm’s founder has extensive experience in the development of nanocarriers for cancer therapeutics.

In the past-year, Nulixir sales have grown ~8x with strong interest from small, mid-size and many large CPG companies to partner with Nulixir and incorporate the technology in their products. Nulixir boasts an impressive board of senior executives from companies like Pepsi, Danone, McKinsey & Company, Paine Schwartz Partners, etc. The company currently has 30+ employees with a stellar executive team who come from food B2B companies such as ADM, Givaudan, Kerry, and ex-MBB consultants.

Position Title: Application Scientist – Functional Food & Beverage

Position Overview:

Are you excited by the idea of turning cutting-edge nanotechnology and analytical data into real products that consumers can taste, feel, and experience? Do you love being the person who can speak “science” to scientists and “benefits” to customers —and connect those worlds seamlessly?

Nulixir is seeking a high-energy, highly technical Application Scientist to be the brain between our analytical scientists, our nanotechnology team, and our clients . In this role, you will be where our Nusomes™ technology comes to life: designing and optimizing applications, building demo formulations, translating complex data into clear value propositions, and guiding customers on how to incorporate our technology into their products.

You will work directly with clients’ R&D and Innovation teams, as well as Nulixir’s internal scientists and commercialization team, to turn ideas into scalable, high-performance beverages and functional products. If you’re passionate about both science and real-world impact—and you want to see your work on shelves—this role is for you.

Position Location:

This position will be based at our HQ facilities located in the Austin, TX Metropolitan Area, with occasional travel to customer sites, conferences, and trials as needed.

In this critically important role, you will be responsible for:

1. Translating Technology into Applications

• Become a deep expert in Nulixir’s Nusomes™ platform, analytical methods, and functional ingredient portfolio (e.g., CoQ10, Vitamin D, nootropics, botanicals).
• Translate complex nanotechnology and analytical data into clear, application-focused stories that customers can understand and act on.
• Work with clients to map their product goals (taste, onset, stability, claims) to specific Nulixir solutions and application strategies.

1. Formulation & Application Development

• Design and develop prototype formulations (RTDs, shots, concentrates, etc.) that showcase Nulixir technologies in real beverage systems.
• Optimize applications for stability, organoleptics, processing compatibility, and performance (e.g., bioavailability, onset time, shelf life).
• Partner closely with Nulixir’s nanotechnology and analytical teams to iterate prototypes based on lab data, sensory results, and client feedback.
• Support scale-up handover to commercialization and production teams once applications are validated.

1. Customer-Facing Technical Leadership

• Serve as the primary technical face to the customer for all application-related questions and discussions.
• Lead technical meetings and working sessions with clients’ R&D and Innovation teams, walking them through data, prototypes, and application options.
• Design and deliver technical presentations, training sessions, and product demos to help clients understand how to best incorporate Nusomes™ into their pipelines.
• Capture customer needs, constraints, and feedback and translate them into clear internal briefs for R&D and operations.

1. Data Interpretation & Storytelling

• Interpret analytical, stability, and performance data and build client-ready narratives around the value created (e.g., improved AUC/Cmax, better stability, cleaner flavor profile).
• Work with analytical scientists to define the right testing plans (e.g., stability, release profile, PK surrogates) for key customer projects.
• Prepare technical reports, data summaries, and slide decks that connect lab results to commercial impact (claims, differentiation, cost, and speed-to-market).

1. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Project Management

• Act as the connector between internal teams (Analytical, Nanotech, Commercial, Ops) and external clients for your projects.
• Help prioritize experiments, timelines, and deliverables to ensure customer projects move quickly and efficiently.
• Track project status, risks, and next steps; communicate clearly with stakeholders on both sides.
• Support the commercialization team in building proposals, technical appendices, and customer-facing materials.

1. Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Identify new application opportunities and concepts where Nulixir’s technology can unlock step-change improvements for customers.
• Bring back insights from the field—customer challenges, trends, processing constraints—to inform Nulixir’s product and platform roadmap.
• Contribute to internal knowledge building (application guides, playbooks, best-practice formulations) as the company scales.

Relevant Job Experiences, Skills, and Key Requirements for this Role:

• Master’s or PhD in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biotechnology, or a related field strongly preferred; exceptional BS candidates with strong application experience will be considered.
• 3–7+ years of experience in applications, formulation, or technical support roles in food & beverage, nutraceuticals, pharma, or related industries.
• Hands-on experience with formulation of complex systems (e.g., emulsions, dispersions, nano/micro-encapsulation, functional beverages) strongly preferred.
• Solid understanding of analytical methods used in characterization of active ingredients and formulations (e.g., HPLC, LC/MS, particle size, stability, release).
• Strong communication skills—able to go deep with scientists and also simplify for commercial audiences.
• Proven track record of successful customer-facing technical interactions: troubleshooting, co-creation of formulas, and managing technical workstreams with external partners.
• High comfort level working in a fast-paced, high-growth start-up environment with evolving priorities and aggressive timelines.
• Strong problem-solving mindset, curiosity, and a passion for seeing science become real-world products.
• Ability to travel occasionally to customer sites, pilot trials, and conferences as needed.

We Offer:

• A unique and diverse company culture, shaped by people with commitment, sense of responsibility, risk-taking and discipline
• An excellent start-up work environment, flat hierarchy, and short decision paths
• Competitive salary
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Annual Performance Bonus; and
• Stock options

Nulixirians’ Culture:

We recruit, promote, and reward based off of our five core values:

• Sleeves Up – At Nulixir, we provide the autonomy and creativity needed to own your role, iterate where needed and drive impact on a massive scale.
• 100% Transparency – Nulixir is passionate about open feedback at all levels of the company. This allows us to fail fast, create in real time and build an open company culture.
• Be Defiantly Great – We are defiant, that’s in our lifeblood, we accomplish what other people think are impossible. Challenging the status quo is our lifeblood.
• Unconditional Empathy – Our customers are real people with real business needs, and we are here to listen and tackle accordingly. If we care and respect each other, there is no challenge we can’t overcome.
• Be the solution, not just the critic – Take ownership and drive collaboration. We work together and we build together.
• If you want to be the application brain that connects breakthrough nanotechnology, rigorous analytics, and real products in consumers’ hands, we’d love to hear from you.