Senior Research Associate - Texture Analytics

Impossible Foods is addressing the most catastrophic threats facing humanity: climate change and biodiversity collapse. A global transition to a plant-based food system will turn back the clock on atmospheric CO2 levels, restore natural ecosystems and reverse meltdown in wildlife biomass.
The easiest -- if not only -- way to make our civilization sustainable is to eliminate livestock, the most dangerous technology on Earth. But humans won’t give up meat. So we need to make meat better -- more delicious and more nutritious, without animals as the underlying production technology. That means that making meat sustainably is the most important and urgent problem for the global scientific community.
Impossible Foods' mission is to completely replace the use of animals as a food-production technology by offering consumers everything they currently value about animal products -- and making products that are vastly superior to their animal analogues.
To do this, we are taking a revolutionary scientific and market-based approach. We are inventing efficient, sustainable ways to transform ingredients from plants into meat, fish and dairy foods that deliver all the pleasures and nutritional benefits consumers demand, without the destructive environmental or public health impact.
Our world-class R&D team has been building the know-how and technology platform to produce meat, fish and dairy foods from plants. Impossible Foods is experiencing rapid growth and is resolutely committed to leading all aspects of the plant-based food revolution—from discovery to commercial production. The only thing that will separate Impossible Foods from success and failure is our ability to recruit more world-class experts.
Want to join? Check out the job opening and requirements below:
A candidate in this Senior Research Associate position will be expected to perform primarily hands-on experimental work on characterization of ingredients for food prototypes. Most of the work will be on the kitchen/laboratory scale, but some amount of pilot plant work should be expected. Excellent organization and data recording skills are as crucial for this position. This person will be working closely with a scientist on the team who would serve as her/his scientific and career mentor. The scientist will take the lead in defining research directions and designing experiments, and rely on the RA for execution and data analysis. At the same time, the RA is encouraged to take active part in discussing ideas and experimental design, and gradually learning towards taking a bigger role in all aspects of their work. The ability to learn and grow, inquisitiveness and self-starting are meaningful qualities for candidates in our group. We take professional development of RAs seriously, and aim for them to progress to the level of scientist and beyond.

You Will:

• Characterize food ingredients using texture analyzer, rheometry, moisture analysis, gel-electrophoresis, differential scanning colorimetry and other techniques.
• Characterize ingredients and food prototypes using sensory panels. Working with IF Sensory & Perception group, design sensory experiments, organize and conduct sensory panels, and complete data analysis with the guidance of the sensory team and supervisor.
• Help to re-formulate ingredient mixture to achieve target values of juiciness, tenderness, density, and other mechanical and sensory properties.

You Have:

• BS or MSc. in Material Science, Physics, Physical Chemistry, Chemistry, Food Science or Agricultural, Biological or Chemical Engineering.
• 3+ years of wide-ranging, hands-on experience in experimental biochemistry, biomaterial science or food science.
• Texture analyzer, Rheology, wet lab skills, kitchen skills.
• Solid understanding of statistics.

Impossible Foods Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. 
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