Scientist/Engineer, Process Development

About us 

At the forefront of farming and food, Upside Foods  is innovating new ways to produce real meat, without the need to breed, feed and slaughter animals. Our process begins with an animal cell, which is cultivated and harvested as meat. Upside Foods is a mission-driven company focused on bringing to meat lovers an authentic product that is truly humane, sustainably produced, nutritious and delicious! We are now expanding our team of dedicated professionals across disciplines to make better meat for a better world.

About this job

This Scientist/Engineer role will lead the development of robust processes for the cultivation of cell-based meat in novel perfusion bioreactors using scale-down benchtop platforms. We are searching for a person with scientific and operational expertise, capable of designing, troubleshooting, and executing experiments independently. The ideal candidate would have a history of working with an interdisciplinary team to develop and implement novel bioprocess methods and operating procedures, leading to process transfer to production. In depth working knowledge of vessel hardware, controller automation, data capture, and culture data analysis are critical for success. This laboratory-based position involves daily operational work on several concurrent projects, followed by analysis and interpretation of the data, presentation of findings to the Process Development team, and suggestion of follow-up experiments. We are excited to bring on a diligent self-starter who thrives doing hands-on laboratory work to be part of our growing team.

Duties include

• Design, review, execute, and analyze process development experiments at the benchtop scale, leading to process transfer to pilot plant and commercial scale.
• Responsible for day-to-day operations of multiple benchtop platforms.
• Participate in prototype development, installation and evaluation of new bioreactor technologies.
• Lead installation of new bioreactor equipment and establish operating procedures.
• Performing troubleshooting,  routine maintenance and calibration of process equipment.
• Leading and mentoring team members to accomplish project goals.
• Managing schedule and priorities on a daily basis, while working to a timeline.
• Acquiring and analyzing data independently; recording all experimental designs, data, observations, and results in an electronic laboratory notebook
• Summarizing and synthesizing experimental plans and results to their supervisor and the larger team in an organized, concise, and logical manner, both verbally and visually.
• Coordinating research activities with other teams within the company.
• Adhering to and enforcing good lab practices, including safety, cleanliness, and waste handling; takes immediate action to correct any potential safety issues.

About you

• 6+ years of experience in cell culture bioprocess development and process transfer across size scales in either an academic or industry setting.
• Experienced with development of new bioprocess, and process transfer to production.
• Experienced with a range of bioreactor platforms and control systems.
• Detail-oriented and well-organized.
• Excellent critical thinker.
• Ability to follow Standard Operating Procedures.
• Ability to relate with people at all levels within an organization, including diverse cultures.
• Comfortable working in, and leading in a team based environment.
• Comfortable presenting in front of large groups consisting of peers and/or management.
• Must be willing and able to work evenings and weekends when needed.

Desirable skills

• Experience in data analysis platforms (e.g. JMP, Minitab), including statistical analysis and presenting data in table and graph forms.

UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our company-wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.