Process Engineer/Scientist I, Media Formulation

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 has experienced hyper growth over the last two years and we are seeking an innovative individual who enjoys fast-paced growth and is passionate about changing the future of food. The formulation and process design engineer/scientist in cell culture media will be responsible for developing and running experimental designs to develop scalable processes for cell culture media formulations. This individual will perform experiments, analyze and interpret data, communicate results, and make recommendations to drive research forward. They will collaborate very closely with scientists and engineers from various functions, such as process development and tech transfer engineers to ensure a  scalable cell culture media formulation for cultivated meat. 

Responsibilities include

• Drive investigations related to troubleshooting R&D and manufacturing applications of cell culture media, buffers, and stock solutions

• Investigate and determine critical material attributes of raw materials (e.g. solubility and stability limits) required for desired process functionality

• Develops experiments that ensure consistent processes during scale-up.

• 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.

About You

• Ph.D. in chemical engineering, biochemistry, bioengineering, chemistry, or closely related science or B.S. candidates with 6+ years or M.S. candidates with 4+ years of relevant experience in the biopharmaceutical/bioprocess, cell therapy, or similar industry are also encouraged to apply.

• Working knowledge/understanding of scale-up considerations for cell culture media/process.

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced and cross-functional environment.

• Maintain scientific scholarship through internal and external networking and frequent literature reviews.

• Industrial or academic cell culture media troubleshooting or development experience is a huge plus.

• Working knowledge of the statistical design of experiment techniques (DOE) is highly preferred.

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. The role will sit in R&D and partner with many functions in the company, from MSAT, Manufacturing Operations, Process Development, Quality, and Regulatory Affairs. It’s a rare opportunity to learn about the technical aspects of the company, from R&D to large-scale operations. 

Key Contributions in First Year

• Investigate scalable systems used to prepare and sterilize cell culture media, buffers, and process supplements within the first 3 months.

• Partner with engineering and MSAT to develop technologies to scale cell culture media use and production in the first year.

• Troubleshoot formulation and process issues related to cell culture media scale-up.

Compensation Range: $66,000 - $115,000*
*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 

• DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Council and People Engagement Programs

• 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.