Research Associate I, Analytical R&D

about 1 year ago
Full time role
San Francisco, CA, US... more
San Francisco, CA, US... more

Company

Memphis Meats creates real, edible meat products from stem cells instead of living animals. At Memphis Meats, our mission is to ...

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Job Description

About us

Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from animal cells.  These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. UPSIDE Foods recently became the first company in the world to receive the US FDA greenlight for cultivated meat, and UPSIDE’s cultivated chicken will be available to consumers following USDA inspection and label approval. 

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). 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 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

The UPSIDE Analytical R&D team is looking for a talented Research Associate I who will support existing laboratory functions and be responsible for running developed assays to assist processes and product characterization. Our ideal RA is someone who can work independently to execute experiments in the lab and bring creative suggestions to improve the team’s workflows. We hope to find a talented chemist who constantly seeks out new skills and methods to enhance their analytical knowledge and feels comfortable bringing their true selves to the lab setting on a daily basis. If you are creative, detail-oriented, passionate, and prepared to learn new things, please consider joining our team in changing the future of food!

Responsibilities include

  • Balancing multiple lab-based activities across different platforms as established with your manager to accomplish tasks efficiently
  • Executing experiments related to analytical method development, including preparing reagents, standards, and samples to a high standard of accuracy
  • Performing routine analytical testings such as amino acid analysis, total protein analysis, elemental analysis etc and report data to internal customers
  • Troubleshooting various lab equipment, including pipettes, probes, and analytical balances,  by reading the manual or talking with the tech support 
  • Helping maintain instruments in the lab, including HPLC, GC, and ICP-MS under supervision of instrument expert
  • Following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other instructions, and suggesting edits to procedures and methods as needed

About you

  • B.S. degree in Chemistry or related field plus 1+ years of related professional experience
  • Fundamental knowledge, but not necessarily extensive hands-on experience, of analytical chemistry and related principles such as analytical instrumentation, wet chemistry methods, and data analysis
  • Experience in data analysis employing Microsoft Excel or other data analysis platforms, including basic statistical analysis and presenting data in table and graph forms
  • Demonstrated routine laboratory testing capability, preferably related to analytical method execution for a variety of sample types, and enthusiastic commitment to continuous improvement of processes and systems
  • Desire to be part of a dynamic and growing analytical team

Who you’ll work with

  • The incumbent will work closely with senior members of the analytical team and supporting functions to execute deliverables in a timely fashion to meet key objectives, specifically for our internal customers. 
  • This role will have the opportunity to partner with all R&D functions in the company and learn about all parts of the business and industry.

Key Contributions in First Year

  • Execute established routine analytical workflows efficiently and document data and methods
  • Support the entire ARD team with laboratory organization (lean lab activities) and upkeep 
  • Train to operate more complex instrumentation, such as HPLC, GC, and ICP-MS systems, and support future workflows and/or help develop new methods

Compensation Range: $45,000 - $75,000* 
*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.

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