The Role
The R&D Scientist will develop cell culture media formulations, run experiments, analyze data, mentor junior associates, and collaborate across teams.
Summary Generated by Built In
About us:
Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from real animal cells. These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. In doing so, the company aims to address some of the most pressing environmental, animal welfare, and public health challenges, while still giving people the meat they love.
Founded as the world’s first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken, and duck) and to sell a cultivated meat product in the United States. The company believes that people shouldn’t have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood.
UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times’ Good Tech Awards, FastCo’s Next Big Thing in Tech and World Changing Ideas Awards, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised a total of $608 million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates, Cargill, John Doerr, John Mackey, Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest, Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek, Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others.
About this job:
UPSIDE is seeking an innovative individual who enjoys fast-paced growth and is passionate about changing the future of food, and setting a standard for cell culture media.The R&D Scientist in cell culture media will be responsible for developing and running experimental designs to develop cell culture media formulations for a variety of cell types. The media development scientist will perform experiments, analyze and interpret data, communicate results, and make recommendations to drive research forward. The scientist will collaborate very closely with scientists and engineers from various functions such as process development and cell line development, and data experts to formulate and execute a strategy for scalable cell culture media formulation. In addition, the scientist will mentor and train junior associates within the cell culture media team.
Responsibilities include:
- Develops experiments in traditional and high-throughput cell culture platforms at multiple scales.
- Mammalian and avian cell/tissue culture, including techniques such as thawing, subculturing, freezing, single-cell cloning, etc.
- Cell culture media development (serum-free/chemically defined).
- Designs and executes experiments independently or with guidance from team/project lead for complex experiments.
- Proficient data collection, interpretation, and analysis to determine the next steps. Plans further experiments based on data and objectives.
- Mentor and supervise others in areas of expertise.
About You:
- Ph.D. in cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, or closely related science with 3+ years of research and development experience in the cultivated meat, biopharmaceutical, or similar industry; or strong BS candidates with 8+ years or MS candidates with 6+ years of relevant experience in the biopharmaceutical, cell therapy, or similar industry are also encouraged to apply.
- Industrial or academic cell culture media and process development experience.
- Working knowledge of statistical design of experiment techniques (DOE)
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced and cross-functional environment.
- Comfortable developing a scientific knowledge base by learning new methods from peers, seminars, and scientific literature.
- Maintain scientific scholarship through internal and external networking and frequent literature reviews.
- Working knowledge/understanding of scale-up considerations for cell culture media/process.
- Experience using SIMCA, JMP, Minitab or Python (for navigating and analyzing large data sets.
Who you’ll work with:
- A talented team dedicated to optimizing media and processes to make a safe, cost-effective, and animal-component-free cell culture medium.
- Media is used at every stage of the cultivated meat process. That means that this role is expected to collaborate with both upstream and downstream R&D teams in addition to manufacturing Ops, commercial production, and product development.
Key Contributions in First Year:
- Inception and production of key media prototypes for current and upcoming products.
- Optimizing processes and existing media formulations.
Compensation Range: $140,000 - $170,000*
*Pay may vary depending on factors including job-related knowledge and skills.
*Pay may vary depending on factors including job-related knowledge and skills.
UPSIDE Benefits!
- Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
- 90-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)
- Pet insurance for your furry family members!
- Unlimited PTO
- Employee Engagement Council
- Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities
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.
Top Skills
Jmp
Minitab
Python
Simca
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The Company
What We Do
By growing meat directly from animal cells we're making future-friendly, real meat that makes you and the world smile. We stand for all of the good, and none of the bad. UPSIDE Foods is making our favorite food a force for good.
