Hoping to join the team?

Posted on Sep 12, 2019 in News | 0 comments

Kennebec River Biosciences hires often, and welcomes your inquiry at any time! A growing aquatic animal health company, KRB is based in Richmond, Maine.  Employees live in greater Portland / Casco Bay, in the beautiful midcoast, in the Kennebec valley, at the southern beaches, and near the western lakes and mountains.  For more on Maine, visit liveandworkinmaine.com. KRB’s clientele is global and our facilities include laboratory, R&D and manufacturing settings, but our team is our greatest asset.  Professional and fun, we are self-starters who learn and adapt, carry out current protocols, solve problems, work both independently and with others, prioritize tasks and communicate and collaborate effectively.  Microbiology / molecular biology and lab experience is required for some but not all positions.  Salaries and wages are commensurate with experience. For current opportunities, please fill out our contact form and introduce...

Read More

Kennebec River Biosciences Hires Ann-Marie Allen as Laboratory Technician

Posted on Aug 22, 2016 in News | 0 comments

Experienced zebrafish technician joins growing KRB team   Richmond, Maine — Kennebec River Biosciences today announced its hiring of Ann-Marie Allen as laboratory technician. Allen comes to KRB from Maine’s Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, where she worked as animal technician and was quickly promoted to zebrafish technician. During her four years in this position Allen was responsible for most colony management activities such as nutrition, breeding, growth, record keeping, and biosecurity, as well as training new zebrafish personnel. Prior to her years at MDIBL, Allen worked at the Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center at the University of New England. Here, she cared for a variety of recovering marine animals, working alongside veterinary and other scientific staff to meet the unique needs of each species. “This position at KRB lets me use my education and skill set to contribute to aquatic animal health and sustainable productivity on a global level,” said Allen. “I’m excited to be able to contribute to this team.” “Ann-Marie’s lab skills and background with zebrafish and other aquatic animals complement the needs of our lab well, said President and CEO Bill Keleher. “We are fortunate to have her join us.” Allen’s work will help Kennebec River Biosciences continue to grow its capacity to provide top-quality diagnostics and inspections for finfish and shellfish, as well as its first-in-class USDA-licensed autogenous vaccines. While KRB works with hundreds of species, it is seeing more and more interest from zebrafish researchers wanting to better understand the complete microbial profile of their colonies, and wanting to acquire zebrafish from other colonies more easily and with less pathogenic risk. Allen also enjoys cooking and kayaking, and is a PADI Certified Open Water Scuba...

Read More

Kennebec River Biosciences Licensed by USDA for Aquatic Vaccines

Posted on May 31, 2016 in News | 0 comments

Strain-specific vaccines now available internationally and in all US states Richmond, Maine — Kennebec River Biosciences’ announced today that it is now fully approved by the USDA’s Center for Veterinary Biologics to produce autogenous vaccines for fish. This approval greatly expands KRB’s ability to design and provide custom, strain-specific health solutions both to the aquaculture sector and to resource agencies worldwide. Unlike others, KRB CustomTM vaccines target the specific strains of bacteria and/or virus found at the client’s farm or facility. KRB’s veterinarians have made fish vaccines in this way for years, for clients in states where they were licensed. Now, KRB CustomTM autogenous fish vaccines are available in all U.S. states, as well as internationally. Susan Marcquenski, a Fish Health Specialist from Wisconsin, praises KRB for their “consistent, extremely effective autogenous vaccines.” A key advantage of KRB CustomTM vaccines is their connection to KRB’s experienced, high-throughput laboratory. The largest commercial fish health lab in the Americas, KRB has performed diagnostics and inspections for over 20 years, and offers more USDA-APHIS approved assays for export testing than any other lab. “Accurate detection and diagnosis is a core competency for us,” says Dr. Cem Giray, COO and Laboratory Manager. “By sampling on a regular basis and by producing our vaccines from recent, farm-specific isolates, we provide our clients with a precisely targeted solution.” To produce their vaccines, scientists at Kennebec River Biosciences use the pathogens most recently isolated from fish at individual farms or hatcheries. After identification, characterization and subsequent growth under optimized culture conditions, candidate organisms are inactivated and included in a vaccine. Each vaccine serial is rigorously tested to ensure its quality as well as its safety in fish. KRB clients praise the company’s proactive, full-service approach to fish health. According to George Nardi, founder of Great Bay Aquaculture, KRB provides “solutions for health needs that are tailored to my business.” Greg Lambert of Cooke Aquaculture USA, a longtime client, says “the personal relationships are excellent as is the regulatory assistance in determining what testing is required for a given situation. The vaccine production incorporated recently is an added bonus. Additionally, KRB is very flexible in working around our schedule which is always appreciated.” KRB can produce either immersion or injectable custom vaccines. Immersion vaccines are administered to fish through the gills and the gut by exposing fish to specific dilutions of the vaccine in hatchery water for a specific period of time. According to Dr. Peter Merrill, a KRB veterinarian and Director of Regulatory Affairs, “the use of immersion vaccines in fish as small as 5 grams can be an important factor in an integrated fish health management program.” Injectable vaccines are typically administered through intraperitoneal injection in larger fish,...

Read More

Open Positions at Kennebec River Biosciences: Lab Technician, Molecular Biologist

Posted on May 19, 2016 in News | 0 comments

UPDATE – THESE POSITIONS HAVE BEEN FILLED. Richmond, Maine — Kennebec River Biosciences, an aquatic animal health testing laboratory and USDA-licensed producer of autogenous fish vaccines, is now hiring for the following two positions:  Laboratory Technician, and Molecular Biologist.  Both positions are at KRB’s facility in Richmond. Details of each position are as follows: Molecular Biologist Growing global aquatic animal health company seeking a motivated individual with experience in molecular biology. Undergraduate degree and related laboratory experience, interest in microbiology, ability to work in a team environment, accuracy, efficiency and good work ethics required. Eligible candidate must be able to carry out current protocols and optimize/develop new molecular assays, problem-solve, work independently, prioritize tasks and train/supervise staff. Salary commensurate with experience. Job Type: Full-time Required experience:  2+ years in molecular biology Required license or certification: Driver’s license Required education: Bachelor’s degree or higher Laboratory Technician Entry-level position in aquatic animal health laboratory. An interest in microbiology, ability to follow protocols and perform repetitive tasks, attention to detail, accuracy, efficiency and good work ethics required. Educational background in Microbiology or Biological Sciences and/or laboratory experience preferred. Position activities consist of laboratory preparation and clean-up, finfish and shellfish necropsy, sample collection and processing, and preliminary laboratory evaluations. Moderate lifting, physical activity and some travel also required. Salary commensurate with experience. Job Type: Temporary Required license or certification:  Driver’s...

Read More

KRB Hires Mandy Hufstader as Laboratory Technician

Posted on May 11, 2016 in News | 1 comment

Scientist eager to “develop skills and contribute to a dynamic team” Richmond, Maine — Kennebec River Biosciences today announced its hiring of Mandy Hufstader as clinical laboratory technician. Hufstader has an extensive background in biological laboratories like KRB, having worked as a lab technician for 15 years in her native Australia. Most recently, she worked as teaching services coordinator at the University of Melbourne’s Department of Zoology. In this capacity she provided support to both undergraduate practical classes and to departmental research projects, supervised other laboratory staff, and handled purchasing, procurement and equipment maintenance. Prior to her years at the University, Hufstader had worked at the Bartter Vaccine Production Laboratory, at the Cancer Research Unit and Microbiology/Virology Research Laboratory at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, and at the Royal Children’s Hospital. “KRB offers me a challenging opportunity in biological sciences where I can develop my skills, and contribute to a dynamic laboratory team,” said Hufstader. “It’s an excellent fit for me.” “Mandy is conscientious, efficient and pleasant to be around,” said Lab Director Dr. Cem Giray. “She has quickly become a very liked and respected member of our team and no doubt well-placed to soon take on a leadership role in our company.” Hufstader’s background will help Kennebec River Biosciences continue to grow its capacity to provide top-quality diagnostics and inspections for aquatic species, as well as its first-in-class USDA-licensed autogenous vaccines. By identifying viral or bacterial pathogens of concern and by isolating the specific strain(s) found at a client’s facility, KRB is able to target its vaccines to the precise needs of the customer. Hufstader enjoys camping and travel. She has served as an emergency warden, holds First Aid Level 2 competency, and is an avid distance...

Read More

KRB Celebrates 20th Year in Business

Posted on Apr 22, 2016 in News | 0 comments

Richmond, Maine — Kennebec River Biosciences today celebrated its 20th year in business, providing solutions for aquaculture, hatcheries and others concerned with fish and shellfish health. Formerly known as Micro Technologies, KRB was established on April 22, 1996 at 43 Main St in downtown Richmond. Initially focused on providing health testing such as diagnostics and screenings for aquatic animals, KRB has since expanded to provide solutions such as autogenous vaccines, regulatory consultation, and contract research. While KRB at first served local customers, it now serves hundreds of clients ranging from Mexico to Vietnam and from Canada to Indonesia, and has tested hundreds of species of fish, shellfish and other aquatic organisms. Lab and vaccine production space has expanded into multiple adjacent buildings. KRB is today the largest commercial fish health lab in North America and offers more USDA/APHIS-approved assays for aquatic animal export certification than any other laboratory. Thanks to careful identification and isolation of more virulent pathogens, KRB is able to produce highly targeted, custom vaccines. As part of a proactive, well-structured fish health program, vaccination can help hatcheries and aquaculture enterprises reduce costs, improve growth and survival, and improve their overall...

Read More